Defiant Speaker Martin returns to Commons as ministers admit 'sleaze row is damaging Parliament'

Cities of London and Westminster MP Mark Field broke ranks to urge Mr Martin to recognise that he had had a "good innings" and to start to "wind down" to retire shortly before or at the next election.

While expressing sympathy for the Speaker's position, he stressed that a bitter succession battle would damage both Mr Martin and Parliament.

His friends should be giving him this "raw advice," he added.

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MPs, even those who privately criticise Mr Martin, have remained tightlipped.

But Mr Field dismissed claims that Mr Martin was a victim of a witch hunt. The Tory MP said: " Nothing would be worse than a very brutal battle if he stood for re-election."

Yesterday pressure mounted on the Speaker as he faced an extraordinary attack inside the House of Commons when he was warned that he was damaging the reputation of Parliament.

A Labour MP challenged his authority over his handling of an inquiry into MPs' expenses.

In a further sign that support for Mr Martin was fading, a senior minister described him as "appalling" and "hopeless" and said many more colleagues felt the same way.

The attack comes on the same day that the House of Commons Commission, chaired by Mr Martin, is considering giving MPs a payrise of £22,000 in return for scrapping the tax free second-home allowace.

There was increasing speculation in Westminster that a growing number of MPs want the Speaker to step down from his influential position within months.

Gordon Brown offered only lukewarm support when questioned about Mr Martin's future yesterday.

On a visit to South London, the Prime Minister said: "This is a matter for the House of Commons. Michael Martin has been a very, very good Speaker."

Mr Martin was criticised over the timing of a review of MPs' allowances, prompted by the Derek Conway affair. The review is due to report in the autumn.

The Speaker is already under fire for using air miles earned on official business to pay for flights by family members.

But the row was heightened by the revelation that his office misled the public over £4,000 worth of taxi bills for his wife Mary.

The disclosure led to the resignation of his spokesman Mike Granatt at the weekend.

Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards John Lyon is being urged to investigate the revelation that Mrs Martin had not been accompanied on the trips by a Commons official, as journalists had been told, but by her housekeeper and friend.

There is also concern over Mr Martin's use of the second home allowance after it emerged he has no mortgage on a property for which he has claimed more than £75,000 to maintain.

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As he arrived in the Commons chamber yesterday, Mr Martin was cheered by MPs from all sides of the House.

But Labour MP for Walsall North David Winnick, a champion of the public's right to know details of MPs' expenses through freedom of information laws, issued a damning indictment of his conduct.

Mr Winnick said that in view of the public concern about MPs' allowances "and the rather misleading impression that we are all on the make at public expense would it be possible for the review to have greater urgency?

"This is a matter causing damage to the repministerutation of the House and the sooner we can resolve it the better."

Mr Martin told the MP: "Unanimously, including you, this House agreed to put this matter to the members' estimate committee, which I chair.

"This House has charged me with a responsibility and I will carry out that duty until this House decides otherwise - and that is a good thing for the reputation of this House."

The members estimate committee is looking at MPs' expenses and allowances after the revelations that Tory backbencher Mr Conway put his student sons on the taxpayer-funded payroll.

A senior minister reflecting the private view of what is believed to be around 40 MPs, said: "The Speaker is appalling. He has been hopeless on the issue of expenses and the review he is chairing."

There is also dismay Mr Martin plans to stand for another term at the next election.

The Tories have opened up an election-winning lead in the polls with evidence that even the working classes are turning against Gordon Brown.

A ComRes poll for the Independent puts the Tories on 41 per cent - 11 points ahead of Labour.

If repeated at a general election, David Cameron would walk into Downing Street with a majority of 38. He is ahead among all social classes, even the bottom DE group.

MPs could get £20,000 rsie

MPs could receive pay rises of more than £20,000 a year in an attempt to calm down the row over expenses, it emerged last night.

The House of Commons Commission, chaired by Speaker Michael Martin, is considering the 33 per cent increase on MPs' annual pay of £61,820.

This would be in return for the scrapping of the controversial tax-free secondhome allowance, worth up to £22,100 a year.

MPs are accused of abusing the perk, named the Additional Costs Allowance, supposed to cover the cost of staying away from their constituencies to attend Parl iament during the week.

Under the plan being examined by the commission, the average of claims under this allowance -17,700 in 2006-07 - would be added to MPs' basic annual pay.

Because allowances are tax-free, they would add a further 40 per cent, or £7,000 to replace the money deducted through tax.

It would take MPs' salaries to around £88,000 a year - and would rob the public of the right to know how this extra money is being spent.

MPs who claim the maximum allowance would lose out, but those who claim nothing would see a massive boost to their pay packets.

A final decision is expected in the autumn.