The Northern Secretary, Dr Mo Mowlam, has expressed support for the RUC Chief Constable following calls from Sinn Fein for his resignation. The party claims a BBC Panorama programme screened on Monday night, which contained allegations of police collusion, was a "damning indictment" of Sir Ronnie Flanagan and his force.
However, the Ulster Unionist MP, Mr Jeffrey Donaldson, yesterday described the programme, Careless Talk, as biased and unbalanced. Dr Mowlam said she had not seen the programme but commented: "It was rather an unfair attack on Ronnie Flanagan who I think has been a good Chief Constable here in Northern Ireland and I respect him and support him."
In the programme Sir Ronnie denied allegations of RUC collusion with loyalist paramilitaries in the killings of the solicitors, Mr Pat Finucane and Ms Rosemary Nelson, and a Lurgan republican, Mr Sam Marshall.