The Rev Ian Paisley's Democratic Unionist Party is tonight hotly denying suggestions it had been in secret political negotiations with the Government here for some time.
The Government has always been branded the enemy by the DUP and the party's Mr Nigel Dodds, MP for North Belfast, insisted any suggestion they had been involved in such discussions was nothing but "wild accusations" and "completely false".
The issue was raised by SDLP MP Seamus Mallon who used parliamentary privilege during Northern Ireland questions in the House of Commons to put it to Northern Secretary Paul Murphy that he knew about negotiations between the DUP and the Taoiseach's administration.
He asked what indication the DUP had given to the Irish Government that it wanted to "work the Agreement rather than smash it".
He asked "when we might expect these poachers to become gamekeepers?" Mr Murphy side-stepped the question but the DUP was swift to respond.
The anti-agreement party insists its mandate as the largest party in Northern Ireland following last week's Assembly elections means the agreement is dead and has to be renegotiated.
Mr Dodds rubbished Mr Mallon's claims.
He said: "Wild accusations that the DUP were in secret negotiations/talks or any other type of relationship with the Irish government are completely false."
Claims of a similar nature published at the weekend by a Sunday newspaper were now "the subject of legal action", he added. The DUP position had been consistent throughout the election campaign, he said.
"We will talk to the government of the Republic of Ireland on matters of mutual concern.
"We are not in the business of saying one thing in public and behaving differently in private," Mr Dodds said.
A spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs also denied any political negotiations had taken place with the DUP.
The spokesman said the party's members had met some of its officials on social occasions but that did not amount to negotiations.
It was confirmed by Downing Street today that the British Prime Minister Tony Blair is expected to meet the Northern Ireland party leaders soon in an attempt to end the deadlock in the political process and achieve the restoration of devolution.
The discussions are expected to be in London before Christmas, said Downing Street.