Britain's parliamentary speaker has found himself at the center of a heated argument over his lavish expenses claims, including taxpayer-funded taxi rides that his wife used for shopping trips.
Though he has broken no laws or rules, Parliamentary Speaker Michael Martin has come under fire for claiming around ?4,280 (US$8,420) for his wife's cab fares and around ?17,500 toward a second home in Scotland.
His expenses, and claims for thousands of pounds more to pay for legal bills and airline tickets, have set many wondering if he is the right person to lead a review of the generous allowances offered to lawmakers.
And questions over his expenses bill are only part of mounting troubles faced by Martin, a janitor's son who rose through Britain's political ranks.
Martin, in charge of keeping order and upholding standards in the House of Commons, served as a lawmaker with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown's Labour before he was elected as the strictly impartial speaker in 2000.
But opposition lawmakers charge that he deliberately favors his ex-Labour colleagues during debates, when he decides which legislators are allowed to speak.
Martin, in recent weeks, has denied opposition Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg his customary chance to question Brown during a debate. In 2006, he prevented opposition Conservative Party leader David Cameron from pressing then prime minister Tony Blair over the identity of his likely successor.
On Monday, Martin rejected criticisms, making a rare statement on the floor that is usually reserved for lawmakers to refuse to hand over his responsibilities for the expenses review.
"I will carry out that duty until this House decides otherwise -- and that is a good thing for the reputation of this House," he said.
Martin's spokesman resigned on Friday after claiming he had been misled by the speaker's office -- and in turn had misled reporters -- over details of the taxi claims.
Alistair Graham, former chairman of the committee on standards in public life, said Martin should no longer lead a review of lawmakers' expenses, which is scheduled later this year.
It was launched after a legislator acknowledged he had paid family members for work they had never carried out.
Lawmakers claimed an average of ?135,600 between April 2006 and last year -- the financial year -- and made claims for office costs, transport, staff, stationary, payments toward homes in London, food and insurance.
Information has only been released because of requests made under freedom of information laws. Campaigners are still fighting to force lawmakers to release breakdowns of every individual item they claim.
Graham said: "The scope for reform is pretty enormous but unfortunately now the speaker ... is not the body to carry out that reform."
Martin's supporters insist the attacks are sheer snobbery at his modest background.
RARE EVENT: While some cultures have a negative view of eclipses, others see them as a chance to show how people can work together, a scientist said Stargazers across a swathe of the world marveled at a dramatic red “Blood Moon” during a rare total lunar eclipse in the early hours of yesterday morning. The celestial spectacle was visible in the Americas and Pacific and Atlantic oceans, as well as in the westernmost parts of Europe and Africa. The phenomenon happens when the sun, Earth and moon line up, causing our planet to cast a giant shadow across its satellite. But as the Earth’s shadow crept across the moon, it did not entirely blot out its white glow — instead the moon glowed a reddish color. This is because the
DEBT BREAK: Friedrich Merz has vowed to do ‘whatever it takes’ to free up more money for defense and infrastructure at a time of growing geopolitical uncertainty Germany’s likely next leader Friedrich Merz was set yesterday to defend his unprecedented plans to massively ramp up defense and infrastructure spending in the Bundestag as lawmakers begin debating the proposals. Merz unveiled the plans last week, vowing his center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU)/Christian Social Union (CSU) bloc and the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) — in talks to form a coalition after last month’s elections — would quickly push them through before the end of the current legislature. Fraying Europe-US ties under US President Donald Trump have fueled calls for Germany, long dependent on the US security umbrella, to quickly
In front of a secluded temple in southwestern China, Duan Ruru skillfully executes a series of chops and strikes, practicing kung fu techniques she has spent a decade mastering. Chinese martial arts have long been considered a male-dominated sphere, but a cohort of Generation Z women like Duan is challenging that assumption and generating publicity for their particular school of kung fu. “Since I was little, I’ve had a love for martial arts... I thought that girls learning martial arts was super swaggy,” Duan, 23, said. The ancient Emei school where she trains in the mountains of China’s Sichuan Province
Former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte on Friday failed to attend in person an initial hearing at the International Criminal Court (ICC) as he faces crimes against humanity charges over his deadly crackdown on narcotics. The 79-year-old, the first ex-Asian head of state charged by the ICC, followed by video during a short hearing to inform him of the crimes he is alleged to have committed, as well as his rights as a defendant. Sounding frail and wearing a blue suit and tie, he spoke briefly to confirm his name and date of birth. Presiding Judge Iulia Motoc allowed him to
RSS