Mandelson warns about potential RUC reform failure

The Northern Secretary Peter Mandelson has warned it will be "a calamity" if policing reforms fail because political parties do not sign up to them.

Mr Mandelson denied he had imposed a deadline on the SDLP to agree to the reforms, but said in his view that only minor clarifications are now needed.

He added that it would not be right to delay the implementation of the measures if "only the i's needed dotting and the t's needed crossing".

He also implied that the real reason for the SDLP's concern about the reforms was because of a fear of possible Sinn Fein electoral success at the next British general elections.

This will surely infuriate the SDLP, already smarting at Mr Mandelson's alleged deadline.

The party's Alex Atwood said that while much progress has been made on the issue of reform, more is still needed.