The postponement of the British general election could expose the Ulster Unionist leader Mr David Trimble to fresh dangers, pro- and anti-agreement unionists agreed last night.
In particular, party sources said the delay - coinciding with the lifting of the ban on livestock movements in the North - could lead to pressure on party officers to hold the annual meeting of the Ulster Unionist Council, postponed last month because of the foot-and-mouth crisis.
At the same time a row was breaking over the British government's decision to postpone Northern Ireland's district council elections to June 7th, in line with the Prime Minister's confirmation that the English local elections would be put back to the same date.
Sinn Fein vice-president Mr Pat Doherty said the district council elections should have gone ahead as scheduled on May 16th. He described the decision to delay as "a move designed to help David Trimble to avoid a poor showing . . ." in the local poll.
The decision reinforced the belief that Mr Blair was determined to hold the local and general elections on June 7th. It is understood Mr Trimble had a prior understanding with Mr Blair that the North's local contests would be held on the same day as the general election.
The First Minister wrote to Mr Blair last week urging him to put off the general election until June. However one of Mr Trimble's supporters last night admitted there were "risks" associated with this strategy amid signs that leading dissidents may be preparing to fill the pending political vacuum with renewed pressure on the party leadership over the decommissioning issue.
The UUP officers are likely to consider whether to convene the postponed annual meeting of the party's ruling council when they meet on Friday week.
Sources on the anti-agreement side say there is "no question" of a renewed challenge to Mr Trimble's leadership of the party ahead of the general election. However, one possibility is that his opponents may press for the party's withdrawal from the Executive in the absence of any significant move on decommissioning by the IRA.
Opinion within the anti-agreement faction also appears to be divided, with some senior figures apparently convinced Mr Trimble regards the so-called June "deadline" for decommissioning as an absolute commitment. Observers believe holding the two elections on the same day will ensure a high turnout that will help the Ulster Unionists and the SDLP. Separate election dates would have benefited the DUP and Sinn Fein.
The local government poll will use proportional representation while the Westminster election will use the first-past-the-post system. The UUP and the SDLP welcomed the decision to postpone the council poll while Sinn Fein and the DUP said holding two elections on the same day, using different voting systems, would confuse voters.