MP: 'Speaker Martin could quit this week'

The supporter, a Scots Labour MP, told The Scotsman that government whips had alerted Mr Martin to a loss of support even before Nick Clegg broke with convention yesterday and became the first party leader to call for the Speaker to quit.

The Liberal Democrat leader's move came on the eve of the tabling of a motion of no confidence in Mr Martin and increases the pressure on the Speaker, who has been criticised for his handling of the expenses scandal.

In the latest round of revelations on the subject, a senior Scottish Labour MP last night said that he had voluntarily paid back almost 15,000 of taxpayer-funded expenses last year in an attempt to "ensure public confidence" in the system.

In a further blow for the Speaker, parliamentary authorities overseen by him were last night accused of colluding with MPs to let them make inflated claims on their mortgages. Labour is investigating whether Commons authorities gave one of its MPs permission to claim allowances for loan interest he was no longer paying, a Downing Street spokesman said.

Mr Martin is expected to make a statement on expenses to the Commons today.

One of Mr Martin's closest allies last night said he doubted the statement will announce his resignation. Lord Foulkes MSP, a Labour peer, said Mr Martin had been frustrated to be painted as blocking reform of the expenses system when MPs threw out his proposals last year.

Lord Foulkes said last night: "When I was speaking to him (on Saturday] it didn't sound as if he would be making a statement about his own position. He was feeling that he had been misrepresented and some people were trying to scapegoat him, and he wasn't going to be pressurised into doing anything."

Mr Clegg yesterday called for the Speaker do "the decent thing" and resign, saying only such drastic action would allow parliament to undergo widespread reform and recover from the expenses scandal.

There was an absence of support for the Speaker from Labour and the Conservatives. Foreign Secretary David Miliband refused to endorse him and shadow foreign secretary William Hague said Mr Clegg's call had left the Speaker's position "reaching crisis point" and needing to be to be resolved immediately.

Last night the well-placed Scottish Labour MP told The Scotsman he had voted for Mr Martin to become Speaker nine years ago but now felt his position was untenable. He said others shared his view and would have made this known to Labour whips.

"Let me assure you, people will be doing that," he said.

Asked if he expected Mr Martin to resign this week, the MP said: "Never say never. It's not beyond the bounds of possibility.

"I think people who have supported Michael in the past, and those who were not so supportive of him, will have been making sure that if they have not been able to go direct to Martin himself (they] will have done it through other channels."

He added: "Martin is not as stupid as some people try to make out and I think he will be seriously considering his position."

Mr Clegg said that he expected his resignation call to "snowball" until the Speaker was left with no option but to quit.

Mr Martin has been widely attacked for taking legal action on behalf of the Commons authorities to try to block publication of MPs' expenses under freedom of information legislation.

Further criticism came last week when he publicly dressed down MPs Kate Hoey and Norman Baker for questioning his decision to ask the police to investigate the theft of a computer disk containing the MPs' data.

Yesterday Mr Clegg said: "My view is that it is exactly that culture of unwritten conventions, unspoken rules and nods and winks, that has got us into that trouble in the first place. I have arrived at the conclusion that the Speaker must go.

"He has proved himself over some time now to be a dogged defender of the way things are, the status quo, when what we need very urgently is someone at the heart of Westminster who will lead a wholesale radical process of reform."

Douglas Carswell, a Tory back-bencher, will today table a Commons motion calling on Mr Martin to quit. He claims the cross-party backing of about a dozen MPs, and expects more to go public after Mr Clegg's call.

Mr Carswell said: "The House of Commons is in crisis. We do need leadership. I don't think he is able to provide it."

But a number of Labour MPs mounted a rearguard defence of Mr Martin, who they claimed was being made a scapegoat for public anger sparked by the expenses scandal.

Those who know Mr Martin said he was unlikely to go easily. "I think you may have to break every one of Michael Martin's fingers before you get them off the doorjamb of Speaker's House," one MP said.

There were also attacks on Mr Clegg for political opportunism – and indications that not all 63 Lib Dems were ready to fall in line behind their leader.

Last night it was announced that Mr Martin would make a statement to the Commons this afternoon on expenses. "The statement will be focused on how to resolve the problem of allowances as swiftly as possible," his spokeswoman said.

Michael Connarty, Labour MP for Linlithgow and East Falkirk, dismissed suggestions that the Speaker should resign as "complete and utter rubbish". He accused Mr Clegg of "bullying" his MPs into backing his stance on the Speaker and paying back questionable expenses claims.

THE FRONT-RUNNERS

TWO Conservative MPs – Sir George Young and John Bercow – are leading the race to become the next Speaker.

Sir George served as transport secretary in John Major's government and is known as the "bicycling baronet".

Mr Bercow, the MP for Buckingham, was a close ally of Michael Portillo. He quit the Tory front bench in 2002 when then leader Iain Duncan Smith ordered his MPs to vote against gay rights.

Other candidates include Sir Alan Haselhurst, the deputy speaker, and ex-Lib Dem leader Ming Campbell – but both have been criticised during the expenses row.

'High crime' of last sacked speaker

IF MICHAEL Martin is removed from office, he would be the first Commons Speaker to be ousted for more than 300 years.

In the 17th century, the Speaker had control over the House of Commons agenda and could authorise private members' bills. In 1695, the City of London asked the then Speaker, Sir John Trevor, if he could put through a private bill on its behalf. Sir John agreed to do so, but only if he was paid 1,000 guineas.

But he was found out and efforts were made to remove him from the post for bribery. The House resolved that he had been guilty of "a high crime and misdemeanour".

Sir John, a former lawyer, famous for his severely crossed eyes, initially resisted the moves to throw him out, but he finally had to go. Even so, despite his "form", he remained a judge until he died aged 69.

The office of Speaker was first held by Sir Peter de la Mare, knight for Herefordshire, in the "Good Parliament" of 1376.

It was fought over by Crown and Commons for centuries.

When a new Speaker is chosen, he or she makes a show of reluctance and has to be dragged to the chair by supporters, because of the dire fate that has befallen some Speakers down the centuries. Up to 1560, seven Speakers were beheaded and one murdered.

But in 1642, Speaker Lenthall famously asserted the interests of the Commons over those of the king when Charles I entered the House to arrest five members for treason.

When asked if he knew where they were, the Speaker replied: "May it please your Majesty, I have neither eyes to see, nor tongue to speak in this place, but as the house is pleased to direct me."

LOANS INQUIRY

AN INVESTIGATION has been launched by Labour into claims that Wirral South MP Ben Chapman was given permission by Commons authorities to claim allowances for loan interest he was no longer paying.

The Daily Telegraph reported correspondence showing the MP sought and was given permission to reclaim the interest payments on the full value of his original mortgage, despite paying off 295,000 of the loan in 2002.

He benefited by 15,000 over ten months from the arrangement, which documents suggested was not unique to him, the newspaper said.

A Downing Street spokesman last night said: "The Chief Whip

is investigating documents provided by Mr Chapman and will seek further clarification from him and the Fees Office."

The Telegraph said Mr Chapman had told the Fees Office he was paying off the sum on his second home in south London.

That move reportedly cut his monthly interest payments, which can be claimed back in Additional Cost Allowance, from 1,900 to 400.

But it was agreed that he could keep on claiming the full amount.

Permission to claim "phantom" mortgage payments is said to have been offered to several MPs before 2004 but was stopped when Commons officials said it should never have been allowed.