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Under-fire Speaker addressing MPs Speaker facing anger in Commons
(9 minutes later)
The Speaker of the House of Commons is making a statement to MPs amid growing calls for him to quit over his handling of the expenses furore. The Speaker of the House of Commons has been challenged by MPs to stand down in unprecedented scenes in the chamber.
Michael Martin has been urged to stand down by Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg while MPs from all parties have signed a motion of no confidence in him. Michael Martin did not mention his future in a statement on the expenses furore - instead setting out urgent action to reform the system.
This comes after a week of damaging media revelations about MPs' expenses. He said they must all "accept blame" for the "terrible damage" caused "to the reputation of this house".
But Labour MP Sir Stuart Bell has said he expects Mr Martin to state he will remain in post until the next election. But a succession of MPs challenged him openly saying they wanted a debate and a vote of no confidence in him.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown declined to give Mr Martin his backing, saying that "the decision about who is Speaker is a matter for the House of Commons - it could never be a matter for the government". Tory Douglas Carswell told him a new Speaker with "moral authority" to lead reform was needed.
Gordon Brown says he is 'appalled' by the expenses revelations It follows a week of damaging media revelations about MPs' expenses and criticism of the way Mr Martin has handled the row.
He said he had been "angered and appalled" by the expenses revelations and said there had to be "fundamental change... we're no longer talking about papering over the cracks".
The BBC understands Mr Brown spoke to the Speaker on Sunday about the situation.
The Daily Telegraph has continued to publish stories about individual MPs' claims - based on leaked receipts - on Monday.
The Labour MP Ben Chapman reportedly paid off a lump sum on his mortgage - but continued to claim the same mortgage interest payments for 10 months.
The paper says it amounted to a £15,000 overpayment and said it had been done with the agreement of an official in the Commons Fees office.
Wirral South MP Mr Chapman told the BBC he had not yet seen the papers but added: "I am obviously extremely distressed."
THE SPEAKER'S ROLE The Speaker controls the proceedings of the House of Commons, chairing debates, keeping order and calling on MPs to speakThe Speaker is also responsible for the running of much of Parliament - including the Fees OfficeThe Speaker represents the House of Commons' independence in dealing with the monarchySpeakers are elected by MPs in a Commons vote, traditionally remaining in the role until retirement or death and re-elected automatically after general electionsMichael Martin was elected following the retirement of Betty Boothroyd in 2000 Q&A: Speaker under pressure More MPs under expenses scrutiny
"Whatever I have done I have been entirely open and above board," he said adding all his claims had been agreed by the fees office.
One Labour MP has called for a general election this year, saying this would be the only way to restore public faith in Parliament.
Describing the current Parliament as "tainted", Rob Marris said: "I think we are going to have an early election over this issue and this is not a bad thing, in my mind, because of the lack of confidence of the electorate in Parliament as an institution."
The Speaker's authority was undermined on Sunday when Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg called for him to step down.
Describing Mr Martin as a "dogged defender of the status quo", Mr Clegg said he should make way as he was not the "right man" to lead much-needed reform of Parliament.
Former Labour minister Dennis MacShane has become the latest MP to call for the Speaker to stand down immediately.
He said this was necessary for Parliament to "move forward" with the process of reforming itself.
"The fresh start should start now, not waiting until after the next election," he told the World at One programme.
The Speaker's critics blame him for various attempts to block requests in recent years to have expenses details released under Freedom of Information laws.
And he angered many by attacking MPs who had pressed for more transparency or criticised his decision to ask the police to investigate the leaking of expenses details to the Daily Telegraph.
Conservative MP Douglas Carswell is to table a motion of no confidence in the Speaker on Monday and says he has 15 signatures of "highly respected Parliamentarians from right across the political spectrum".
'Opportunistic'
His motion states that the Speaker has "failed to provide leadership" over the expenses scandal, has lost the confidence of the House of Commons and should step down. It goes on to say that a successor should be chosen by a secret ballot of MPs.
"He needs to go and he needs to go now," Mr Carswell told the BBC.
"If this goes on for another year, if this goes on for more months, the reputation of our entire democracy will be undermined."
He added: "It's not simply that these revelations are coming out in the newspapers, it's the fact that he used public money and his position to try to prevent these details coming out."
TEXT OF MR CARSWELL'S MOTION That this House has no confidence in Mr Speaker and calls for him to step down; notes that Mr Speaker has failed to provide leadership in matters relating to honourable members' expenses; believes that a new Speaker urgently needs to be elected by secret ballot, free from manipulation by party whips and believes that a new Speaker should proceed to reform the House in such a way as to make it an effective legislature once again Profile: Michael Martin Send us your comments
But Labour MP Jim Sheridan accused Mr Carswell of making "a career out of attacking the Speaker" and said Mr Clegg had been "opportunistic and cowardly".
He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the Speaker could not come on TV or radio to defend himself and was angry and frustrated at being attacked by "opportunists" through the media.
"He's a human being after all - I think people should remember that."
He said reports that Mr Martin had lost the confidence of most of the Commons or the PM were "unsubstantiated rubbish" and criticised reporters who had waited outside the Speaker's house, saying they were treating him like he was "some sort of paedophile".
'Metropolitan elite'
He said senior management in the Fees Office should be more closely scrutinised: "You can't blame the speaker for what senior management have allowed to happen - he didn't know what was going on."
Mr Martin's friend Lord Foulkes said he should wait for the next general election before standing down.
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He suggested some of the criticism was motivated by snobbery, arguing that members of "Metropolitan elite" resented the success of "someone from a working class background in Glasgow".
Sir Stuart Bell, another ally of the Speaker, said he believed Mr Martin would make it clear that he intends to stay on until the end of the Parliament and will step down from the post at the next general election, due by June 2010 at the latest.
Under parliamentary rules, the Speaker can either ignore the motion or ask for it to be debated in government time.
For MPs to openly criticise the Speaker breaks a long-standing Commons convention, while the last time a Speaker was forced from office was in 1695 - when Sir John Trevor was found guilty by the House of "a high crime and misdemeanour".
Any move to unseat the Speaker would have to be supported by the Conservatives.
Conservative leader David Cameron said the situation needed to be resolved but insisted it was a matter for MPs and neither the government, nor the official opposition, should force their hand.