Trimble: Attack on hardline unionists

David Trimble has mounted an angry attack on the DUP, claiming the party is not serious about reaching a lasting peace deal in Northern Ireland.

Trimble, whose party lost out to Paisley's hardliners in the last assembly elections, said events since the Leeds Castle talks had highlighted the DUP's underlying opposition to a deal.

"Instead of engaging with the governments and crucially with republicans to probe the real value of the offer the IRA reputedly made at Leeds Castle, the DUP has spent its time raising secondary issues to do with the operation of the assembly," said Trimble.

"Is it any wonder that the public doubts the DUP's sincerity about negotiations when they pass up a golden opportunity to put republicans to the test?

"Frankly, republicans are getting away in the smoke as a result of the DUP's inconsistency and poor negotiating strategy."

His comments, which were made during an address to a fringe meeting at the Conservative conference, came after a senior Sinn Fein representative rounded on Paisley's party.

Mitchell McLaughlin said both nationalists and republicans were "deeply sceptical" of the DUP commitment to reaching a deal and seeing the political institutions restored.

"Their positive pronouncements about making progress and achieving sustainable and stable institutions would have much more credibility if the DUP stopped insulting the Sinn Fein electorate and actually sat down and discussed these big issues face to face with republicans," he said.