The speaker of Britain’s House of Commons announced his resignation yesterday, the first such resignation in more than 300 years, as members of parliament (MPs) reel from an expenses scandal.
At the opening of business at the House of Commons, Michael Martin said he would relinquish his office on June 21, local media reported.
The news came amid intense criticism of Martin for failing to lead reforms that could have headed off the scandal over lawmakers’ expenses, which has caused fury in recession-hit Britain and dominated the headlines for days.
A total of 23 MPs from all the main political parties had signed a vote of no confidence in Martin.
And commentators said he was doomed following a nervous, bad-tempered session in the lower House of Commons on Monday when he made a statement on the row — but still faced repeated calls from lawmakers to quit.
Reports of his imminent resignation were welcomed by lawmakers from all sides of the political divide.
Douglas Carswell, a Conservative backbencher who led the campaign against Martin, told Sky News television that the speaker had “sought to prevent reform.”
“We need a speaker who understands sovereignty of parliament is shorthand for sovereignty of the people,” he said, adding that the resignation should be seen “not as an end in itself but as a beginning” of reforms to the system.
Another opponent, Labour backbencher David Winnick, said: “That is the right and honorable course to take. His resignation will be the first step in the house recovering its reputation.”
Martin — a former sheet metal worker and trade unionist from Glasgow, Scotland who is also Labour MP for Glasgow North East — became the first speaker to be ousted since 1695.
The media had predicted his downfall following Monday’s almost unprecedented, chaotic scenes in the House of Commons when a series of lawmakers challenged his authority.
“Michael Martin is finished as speaker of the Commons,” Peter Riddell wrote in the Times.
“It is now a question of when, not whether ... his departure is widely seen as a necessary step, though only a symbolic one towards halting the slide in parliament’s reputation and a shift away from self-regulation,” Riddell wrote.
Details of MPs’ expense claims — ranging from swimming pool and tennis court repairs to installing a chandelier and cleaning a moat — have leaked out in the Daily Telegraph over the last 11 days.
A Guardian/ICM poll out yesterday showed the damage the row has done to British Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s reputation, and how David Cameron, leader of the Conservatives, has benefited.
A total of 69 percent said Brown had handled the situation badly, while 55 percent said Cameron had performed well. Overall, the poll put Brown’s ruling Labour Party on 28 percent and Cameron’s Conservatives on 39 percent.
ICM interviewed 1,002 people by telephone between Friday and Sunday.
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