Empey to take over as First Minister

A leading ally of David Trimble's has announced that he will take over as the North's First Minister when Mr Trimble resigns tonight.

However, Reg Empey said he will not take the title salary or the trappings of the office, which Mr Trimble plans to vacate because of the IRA's failure to disarm.

Mr Empey said the Ulster Unionists will not return to the power-sharing Executive in the absence of IRA decommissioning.

Mr Empey, the North's Enterprise Minister, described his decision as a "sticking plaster solution to allow time for negotiation".

However, he also said that Mr Trimble's resignation will pay dividends.

"It is a big sacrifice for him, there's no question or doubt about that," Mr Empey said.

"It also shows his commitment to this process. When he announced that he was going to do this, there were the usual guffaws from his detractors, but the fact is that he stuck to his line and he has demonstrated quite clearly who is in default."