Revenge of the Speaker: Martin has his say on expenses crisis

Published on Wednesday 17 June 2009 22:07

THE MPs who wielded the knife against outgoing Speaker Michael Martin shamelessly lavished praise on their prey yesterday.

Like a cat gently playing with the corpse of a fieldmouse, they pawed at the man they had ousted barely three weeks ago.

However, Mr Martin exacted the ultimate revenge: he launched a dramatic attack on Gordon Brown and MPs, accusing them of squandering their chance to clean up expenses.

The Glasgow North East MP – who has become the first Speaker to be forced from office in three centuries – said it was "deeply disappointing" that MPs had not backed recommendations last year to ban claims for furniture or to block outer-London MPs from having publicly-funded second homes.

The Prime Minister was absent for the vote last June, which had it been passed, Mr Martin said, could have saved MPs from much of the current furore.

Although Mr Martin has been accused of blocking reforms to expenses, he insisted that he had backed a more "robust regime" proposed last summer.

"Half of the members did not attend the vote and more than half of those who did vote rejected the proposals," he said, his monotonous drone betraying the sharp sting of his words.

In an apparent swipe at the Mr Brown – who has refused to whip Labour MPs to force them to vote for reforms – Mr Martin said: "Some proposals have since been seized upon by party leaders, who have come up with their own solutions. But, by and large, those solutions were in my committee's 18 recommendations."

He added that he wished that last year party leaders "could have shown then some of the leadership which they have shown now". Ouch.

Conservative Party leader David Cameron nodded vigorously, as though the rebuke had not also applied to him.

The Prime Minister – whose advice to the Speaker to "reflect" on his position effectively curtailed his job – did not flinch. He then paid tribute to Mr Martin.

His was "an inspiring story of commitment and determination in the service of your community, your party, this parliament and our nation".

He also, somewhat jealously perhaps, congratulated him on being cheered by constituents when he walked down the streets of Glasgow.

The Tory leader paid tribute to the man who had come from humble beginnings to high office. How Mr Martin must hate being patronised by the patricians. Mr Cameron also promised to deliver on the Speaker's challenge to "restore trust in this House of Commons".

Liberal Democrat leader Nick "assassin" Clegg, who broke protocol by being the first party leader to openly call for Mr Martin to quit, said it was "especially generous" of Mr Martin to call him to speak.

Smiling at the avuncular figure, MPs bowed before the former Springburn sheet metal worker made good.

Mr Martin's wife Mary cut a glamorous figure in a black, velvet-piped suit. But even she grew fed up with smiling politely through the toe-curling tributes and left her spot in the gallery halfway through.

WHAT NEXT

ON MONDAY MPs will select a new Speaker to fill the highly-coveted and well-rewarded post.

A secret ballot will give MPs the freedom to back the candidate they want without fear of falling foul of colleagues.

After hearing speeches from the contenders MPs will vote in what is expected to be an all-day procedure. They will place an "X" next to the name of their preferred candidate on a ballot paper. A candidate who receives more than half the votes will win.

Candidates with the fewest votes and those with less than 5 per cent will be eliminated. Voting will continue until a final winner emerges.