The security of former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe is to be reduced, the United National Party (UNP) claimed. UNP General Secretary Kabir Hashim told The Sunday Morning that they had been informed that President Maithripala Sirisena had ordered Wickremesinghe’s security to be reduced. He said that on hearing the news, the UNP had contacted Speaker Karu Jayasuriya and requested him to intervene and ensure the security given to Wickremesinghe is maintained. Hashim said that the UNP urged the Speaker to take steps to ensure the status quo with regard to the Prime Minister’s Office also remains till Parliament convenes again next month. Mahinda Rajapaksa took oaths as Prime Minister on Friday night but Wickremesinghe insisted that he was still Prime Minister. Wickremesinghe told reporters yesterday that he was prepared to leave the post of Prime Minister if he does not have the majority support of Parliament. Wickremesinghe also said that the United National Front (UNF) urged Speaker Karu Jayasuriya to convene Parliament to resolve the issue. He said that the issue should be resolved peacefully and there should not be a crisis in the country.