The Northern Ireland Secretary has said he did not announce controversial changes to the Royal Ulster Constabulary as a trade-off for IRA decommissioning.

Unionist politicians, the RUC Chief Constable, the Police Federation and former RUC officers have expressed anger at Peter Mandelson's announcement on Wednesday that most of the reforms contained in the Patten report are to be implemented.

Ulster Unionist leader and First Minister David Trimble launched a stinging attack in the House of Commons when it became clear that his party's attempts to persuade the government not to change the RUC's name had been ignored.

But in an interview for the BBC's Hearts and Minds programme on Thursday night, Mr Mandelson denied the suggestion that he would not have made the announcement unless he knew there would soon be progress on paramilitary decommissioning.

"I'm not trading reform of the police in return for anything," he said.

"The police's future is not some kind of bargaining unit to be played out on some great political game or scoreboard."

Mr Mandelson added that he did not know whether the report from the head of the decommissioning body, General de Chastelain, would confirm that IRA arms decommissioning had started.

"I hope it will be positive. I hope it will be encouraging and I'm not going to speculate on that," he said.

'Failure not accepted'

Mr Mandelson added however, that the decommissioning piece of the Good Friday Agreement jigsaw would not be overlooked.

"I am working all the time to ensure that those people who have said that decommissioning is an essential part of the peace process, as Sinn Fein have, fulfil what I regard as their side of this bargain," he said.

He also implied that the people of Northern Ireland would not accept a failure to fully implement the Agreement.

If the IRA does not begin decommissioning by the end of January, David Trimble will be under pressure to his honour his pledge to resign and so force the collapse of the Assembly Executive.

Mr Mandelson said: "What I know as I go around talking to people from Northern Ireland, is that overwhelmingly people from both traditions and communities like devolution.

"They like their executive, they like local people with local accents taking decisions. They don't want the resumption of direct rule," he said.

RUC renaming defended

Mr Mandelson said he understood and respected that "those unionists who are genuinely speaking up for the RUC family do feel a great deal of hurt and pain about losing the name".

But he said it was important to change the RUC's name and symbolism so that the force would become acceptable to the nationalist community in Northern Ireland.

He said: "I did not think it right to keep the name as it was because, if it remained as it was, I don't think the police would be acceptable to the nationalist community and I don't think we would get the recruits from the nationalist community.

He added: "I feel when one or two people in the unionist community talk about the police service, it is as if they have a sense of ownership of it, and it is precisely that which confirms people's worst suspicions that the RUC has belonged to one community and not another."

But he said it was "tough" if republicans objected to the award of the George Cross being recognised in the police force's new name.

Mr Mandelson added that he felt had not shown political bias towards the nationalist and republicans community in making his decision.

"I came as a friend of the union and I remain a friend of the union, but I am also a friend of those nationalists who want to be able as nationalists comfortably to join the police service in their own country," he said.