The DUP has said that a poll in the News Letter showing nearly two-thirds support for a boycott of the Stormont talks proves that the Ulster Unionists' stance has been rejected by the unionist electorate.
The results, published in the unionist daily newspaper yesterday, followed a telephone poll in which readers were asked to cast votes for the party leader they believed had the right strategy regarding negotiations.
The Rev Ian Paisley topped the poll with 47 per cent. The UUP leader, Mr David Trimble, secured 24 per cent, just half his DUP counterpart's total. The UK Unionist leader, Mr Robert McCartney, received 16 per cent support.
Mr David Ervine of the Progressive Unionist Party polled 5 per cent, as did Lord Alderdice of the Alliance Party. Mr Gary McMichael of the Ulster Democratic Party received 3 per cent. More than 13,000 readers took part.
The DUP deputy leader, Mr Peter Robinson, said that the combined support of the DUP and the UK Unionists, standing at 63 per cent, showed that both parties now had "the moral authority to speak on behalf of unionism".
"The most remarkable factor in the massive support indicated for those politicians who oppose the pan-nationalist talks process is that they have achieved the overwhelming support of unionists despite a media blackout of their position," he said.
"The attempt by the press to prop up David Trimble by showering media attention on him has backfired. The more attention he got, the less attractive his position has become." Mr Robinson said the poll was a warning that the British government would be "illadvised to ignore".
"Their process does not enjoy the support of the unionist community, and it is clear that those within it no longer have the support of the unionist people."
However, the Ulster Unionists yesterday played down the poll, and there were suggestions that attempts had been made by DUP and UK Unionist supporters to rig the result.
The UUP's security spokesman, Mr Ken Maginnis, said: "The poll was not conducted on a scientific basis and was open to abuse. It does not reflect the feelings of the people I meet out on the ground. I would be interested to see a scientific poll.
"In so far as the gap is quite ridiculously exaggerated, one would be fairly safe in assuming that a great deal of jiggery-pokery has taken place." Both the DUP and the UK Unionists denied that they had attempted to rig the poll.
Mr McCartney acknowledged that it could not be regarded as totally accurate, but said that it did give a broad view of the feeling among the unionist community. He claimed that his party was making "very large inroads" into traditional UUP support.