The Northern Secretary, Dr John Reid, last night warned he would not be lobbied by either side of the political divide in deciding who will chair the North's new Police Board.
As UUP leader, Mr David Trimble insisted Dr Reid choose one of his Ulster Unionists as the first chairman, an irritated Dr Reid said attempts to influence him must stop.
He warned: "I will not be lobbied by politicians or interested parties on any side of the political divide."
In a letter to Dr John Reid, Mr David Trimble said he was "concerned" at reports the SDLP was lobbying for a "nationalist" chair. He also felt strongly that the chair should be drawn from among the political rather than the independent board members, he added.
"I consider you would be acting against the spirit of the [policing] legislation were you to pass over the political appointees. I think the natural appointments would be a UUP chair and an SDLP deputy chair," Mr Trimble concluded.
While 10 political appointees were nominated by their parties last week, nine independent board members were supposed to be confirmed by Dr Reid yesterday. However, the appointments have been delayed by wrangles over the board's chairmanship.
It was widely assumed that one of the independent members, Prof Desmond Rea, a business academic and member of the Labour Relations Agency, would chair the board. It then emerged that the SDLP had been lobbying for Mr Denis Bradley, a former Derry priest and interlocutor between the Provisional IRA and the British government for many years.
In his letter, Mr Trimble said the board had to be representative of the community as a whole. "This duty must also be extended to the chair and deputy chair. It, therefore, means that other things being equal, the chair should be occupied by someone from a unionist background, the deputy chair by someone from a nationalist background.
"There is a further matter on which I feel strongly. The chair and deputy chair should be drawn from the political appointees. To do otherwise would be a return to the bad habits of Direct Rule," the UUP leader added.
The UUP's board members are Lord Kilclooney [Mr John Taylor], Mr Fred Cobain, Mr Ivan Davis and Mr James Leslie. Mr Alex Attwood, Mr Joe Byrne and Mr Eddie McGrady will represent the SDLP and Mr Ian Paisley jnr, Mr Sammy Wilson and Mr William Hay the DUP.
In addition to Prof Rea and Mr Bradley, the independent members will be Lord Brookeborough, Mr Tom Kelly, Mr Suneil Sharma, Mr Barry Gilligan, Mr Brian Doherty, Ms Pauline McCabe and Ms Rosaleen Moore.
In another development, the Police Federation has criticised an internal RUC draft report on how the new police service could maintain a "neutral working environment".
The report suggests a "clean walls policy" without any RUC mementoes or emblems.