Police ombudsman 'may access MI5 files'

Northern Ireland's Police Ombudsman could be given access to sensitive files held by the security services, Tony Blair has said.

Tony Blair

Tony Blair is trying to resolve the deadlock over republican support for policing

In a written statement to MPs designed to help Sinn Fein endorse the police in Northern Ireland for the first time in the party's history, the Prime Minister stressed that, under new national security arrangements, MI5 and the PSNI would be completely distinct and separate bodies.