British prime minister Tony Blair sidestepped questions about Sir Ronnie Flanagan's continuance as chief inspector of constabulary yesterday in the continuing row over the Ombudsman's finding of collusion between elements of RUC special branch and the UVF in north Belfast.
At the same time former heads of the special branch hit back at allegations by SDLP leader Mark Durkan that they refused to co-operate with Mrs O'Loan's investigation. After Mr Durkan named them in the House of Commons, the three retired officers suggested that Mrs O'Loan had kept them in the dark about her explosive dossier.
In a highly-charged intervention during prime minister's questions, Mr Durkan challenged Mr Blair over the Ombudsman's report showing that a serial killer "was protected by special branch and paid by the state for years".
Anywhere else this would be a national scandal, Mr Durkan declared, as he demanded: "Does the prime minister accept that collusion was a fact not a fiction? Is it not a disgrace that three former heads of special branch failed to co-operate with the Police Ombudsman's investigation, Chris Albiston, Ray White and Freddy Hall, but two of them now attack her report and her office?
"Can Ronnie Flanagan, who presided over a culture of 'anything goes but nobody knows', be credible as the chief inspector of constabularies, and will the prime minister now rethink plans to install MI5 as continuity special branch in Northern Ireland beyond the reach of key powers of the Police Ombudsman?"
Mr Blair availed of Mr Durkan's multiple questions to focus in the first instance on his charge about MI5's assumption of the lead role in national intelligence in the North later this year. While agreeing with the SDLP leader about what had taken place, the prime minister totally disagreed with his analysis of what MI5 is doing in Northern Ireland, telling him: "It is simply not correct to say that they're going to have any role at all in civic policing."
Mr Blair said "of course we deeply and bitterly regret any collusion that has taken place, any impropriety on behalf of anyone who was working for special branch throughout those years."
He also thought Mr Durkan would want to acknowledge that as a result of Patten reforms "that cannot happen any more". Mr Blair said it was precisely as a result of the additional scrutiny now available that "this has been uncovered and laid bare." And what was important "is that we now make sure that such a thing can never happen again and that, obviously as we are doing, we deal with those who were responsible."
By conspicuously failing to answer the specific question about Sir Ronnie's credibility - and again failing to endorse the "confidence" expressed in him by home office ministers - Mr Blair reinforced the impression of current political discomfort alongside a continuing sense of debt to Sir Ronnie for his role in helping secure the Patten reforms and complete the transition from the RUC to PSNI.
There is also evident frustration in Whitehall with the SDLP leader's aggressive approach, given the Sinn Féin leadership's willingness to use Mrs O'Loan's findings to further justify their proposed conditional endorsement of the PSNI at this weekend's special ardfheis.
Speaking for the retired ex-special branch officers referred to by Mr Durkan, Mr Albiston said certain ex-officers had received a letter from the Ombudsman's office seeking assistance in a serious investigation. He said they replied with information that would assist her investigation.