THE name of the Royal Ulster Constabulary was destined for the history books this morning, as Unionists and Conservatives lost their last-ditch Commons battle to retain it in the working title of the new "Police Service of Northern Ireland".
Just before midnight MPs gave the Police (Northern Ireland) Bill a third reading, by 307 votes to 16, a government majority of 291.
But in a dramatic reversal of its position at second reading, the SDLP abstained in last night's key vote after the party's deputy leader, Mr Seamus Mallon, accused the government of "political chicanery". Mr David Trimble joined other Ulster Unionist MPs in again voting against the Bill.
Mr Mallon's bitter words followed a last-minute decision by Mr Peter Mandelson to withdraw a government amendment defining the "operational purposes" of the new name as including "all working, public, legal, ceremonial, administrative, presentational and recruitment purposes".
A surprised Irish Government was also said to be "angry" at Mr Mandelson's decision to withdraw the amendment, finalised just last Friday after intensive discussions between London and Dublin, into which the SDLP also had a significant input.
The Minister of State, Mr Adam Ingram, had signalled the necessity of the new amendment on Thursday, when he accepted an Ulster Unionist new clause "incorporating the Royal Ulster Constabulary" in the so-called "title deeds" of the new service.
However, it emerged yesterday that the proposed British amendment - which would have effectively nullified the perceived effect of last week's concession to the UUP - had provoked angry exchanges between Mr Mandelson and Mr Trimble, and also between the First Minister and the Prime Minister, Mr Blair.
At around 10 p.m. last night it was confirmed that the government would be withdrawing its amendment to allow for further consultation with the parties while the Bill proceeds to the House of Lords.
But inside the Commons chamber Mr Mallon rounded on Mr Mandelson, suggesting the government had in fact written the original unionist amendment at the time of the Hillsborough negotiations last May. The Secretary of State shook his head in disagreement as Mr Mallon told the House: "I believe what has happened here has done irreparable damage to the prospects of a new policing dispensation" in Northern Ireland.
But despite the souring of the relationship between Mr Mandelson and Mr Mallon, the Secretary of State will have been comforted by the fact that the SDLP did not vote against the legislation. And while the government had clearly stepped-back from a late confrontation during what is an already difficult week for Mr Trimble, government sources were insistent that "the Police Service of Northern Ireland" would be the only working or operational title for the new force.