The crisis in the UUP appeared to deepen last night with confirmation that talks about a possible leadership pact between Mr Jeffrey Donaldson and Sir Reg Empey will continue after Saturday's meeting of the Ulster Unionist Council.
The two men met at a private location yesterday, each accompanied by a number of close colleagues, to consider whether they could establish a greater policy consensus within the UUP on the terms for a future resumption of devolved government in Northern Ireland.
Asked directly if the talks were designed to lay the policy basis on which Mr Donaldson and Sir Reg could offer an alternative to Mr David Trimble's leadership of the party, one key insider replied: "That's a fair description."
Sources on both sides emphatically deny that Mr Donaldson and Sir Reg have had any discussion about "the division of the spoils" in any future "dream ticket" leadership team.
However, the dialogue between the pro-Belfast Agreement unionists and the party's so-called "soft No" faction appears driven by the belief that Sinn Féin will not deliver any "acts of completion" deal until it is satisfied it is dealing with a unionist leadership capable of delivering a return to power-sharing following any Assembly election.
The British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, remains absolutely loyal to Mr Trimble and Downing Street appears convinced that any alternative unionist leadership would only reach an accommodation with nationalists and republicans after a probable interlude of several years.
However, Mr Blair's signal yesterday that an IRA "act of completion" is not a pre-condition for fresh elections, and that those elections cannot be indefinitely postponed, was seen by Mr Trimble's critics last night as likely to further incline Sinn Féin and the IRA to await the outcome of elections.
Asked what would happen if Mr Trimble won the day at tomorrow's UUC meeting and had a mandate to continue disciplinary action against three MPs, one Donaldson supporter said: "If he wins, it will only be by a narrow margin. It changes nothing. We'll sit down with Reg and others on Monday, Tuesday or whenever and we will continue until we get agreement."