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Speaker to reveal expenses reform plans
18.05.09
Commons Speaker Michael Martin will set out expenses reform plans to MPs today in a bid to quell rapidly-escalating demands for him to quit over his handling of the scandal.
He is due to make an emergency statement just hours after the tabling of a no-confidence motion in him that could see Mr Martin become the first Speaker to be ousted from office in more than 300 years.
His position could be further undermined after it emerged MPs had been allowed by the Commons authorities he oversees to claim taxpayer cash for non-existent mortgage payments.
Chief Whip Nick Brown will hold urgent talks with Labour MP Ben Chapman and Fees Office officials this morning as he investigates the practice - which was stopped in 2004.
Mr Chapman was said to have benefited by £15,000 over 10 months after paying off a £295,000 chunk of his mortgage but continuing to claim for interest on the original sum.
Pressure on Mr Martin intensified dramatically yesterday when Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg defied Commons convention to demand he resign.
"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," he said.
"I have arrived at the conclusion that the Speaker must go."
Foreign Secretary David Miliband also levelled criticism and declined to declare his confidence in the Speaker - insisting it would be wrong for the Government to have a "line" on the issue.
And while he said it would be inappropriate for the Opposition to take a view, shadow foreign secretary William Hague admitted the situation had reached crisis point. Tory MPs would have a free vote if it came to that, he said.
More MPs from cross-party divides publicly signed up to Tory backbencher Douglas Carswell's motion yesterday as the momentum for a challenge overcame the traditional reluctance to openly criticise any Speaker.
Mr Martin, who had already angered critics by trying to block publication of MPs' expenses and failing to push reforms of the system, came under renewed fire last week for rebuking MPs who questioned his approach.
If he fails to announce a decision to step down, he will be forced either to ignore the motion - risking a further backlash - or ask the Government to find time to debate it, risking a humiliating exit.
"The statement will be focused on how to resolve the problem of allowances as swiftly as possible," his spokeswoman said, refusing to say whether he would address his own future directly.
It followed a "fruitful" meeting last week with Committee on Standards in Public Life chairman Sir Christopher Kelly, who is leading a review of the Westminster allowances, she said.
Mr Chapman's arrangement was the latest expenses revelation to come from the Daily Telegraph, which has obtained details of MPs' claims.
It said the MP for Wirral South told the Fees Office in a letter: "By paying off capital I am forgoing interest and investment opportunities elsewhere."
The document said that he and an official "thus agreed that the mortgage should remain for ACA (Additional Costs Allowance) purposes at the original amount".
The newspaper also published part of an email between officials discussing Mr Chapman's arrangement which appeared to show other MPs were allowed to do the same.
"I have heard similar arrangements being agreed to in the past," one said. "Personally, I do not believe that such an arrangement should ever have been suggested."
A Commons spokeswoman told the newspaper: "In October 2003, there was a tightening of the rules for claiming allowances. This was reflected in the 2004 Green Book."
Two Labour MPs, David Chaytor and Elliot Morley, have been suspended from the Parliamentary Labour Party pending sleaze investigations into how they came to continue claiming for thousands of pounds in mortgage interest after paying off loans.
A panel of senior Scotland Yard officers and prosecutors will meet this week to decide what action to take in response to a surge of complaints that MPs misused parliamentary expenses.
Lawyers have said there would appear to be a case for some to be pursued for theft or other offences - even if they were taking advantage of officially-sanctioned arrangements.
The Telegraph also published details of MPs who it said had bought household items using second home allowance but had them delivered to their main homes.
Labour MP Madeleine Moon had thousands of pounds worth of furniture delivered to Wales despite her second home being in London and Tory Ed Vaizey, a key ally of party leader David Cameron, had £2,000 of furniture delivered to his London home when his second home was in Oxfordshire, it reported.
Reader views (20)
It would appear the man has misunderstood his role. He is a public servant! Although, it seems he has served himself greatly and been party to obstructing transparency of MP's expense claims. It is time for him to pack his sorry arse into his chauffer driven car and take a final ride up north. He can sit watching the footie and reflect upon his misdemeanors. Call an election.
- Stephen, Loughton Essex
Nothing wrong with the system,its the people that abused it that we need to have expelled from goverment.Politicians are over-paid,that is why they do not understand the people,how can they at nearly twice the national average wage,plus another 100 000 plus in the back pocket.
- Dave, london
So now Gorbells mick is rushing out proposals when he sees the end of his gravy train coming, the same man who has fought tooth and nail to keep everything secret, and the same man who will continue to conspire and manipulate things until the end. In all concience how can he possibly be allowed to remain given his past.If we are to really to see and believe a clean up is underway it has to start with him.
- Alan Davey, London UK
Speaker Martin, you are the weakest link. Goodbye.
- Doug Watt, london e14
Blame for the current mess can be placed firmly at the door of the Labour Party and its banal insistence on so-called 'equality' ideology. The only reason this buffoon got to the position he's in was to satisfy the un-equal desires of Labourites who ensured the promotion of someone simply because he's from a working class background- not because he was any good. It's the whole 'sheet metal worker turned Speaker of this august institution' tosh, as if to prove that no job is beyond someone from such a humble background. The problem is is he was artificially chosen to satisfy that crazed equality ideology they have, which discriminates against worthwhile individuals and over-promotes buffoons. He's always been manifestly incompetent. The whole sorry mess shows what happens when pure ideological claptrap takes precedence over everything else. If he had any dignity he would resign now, apologise for the mess he and his socialists chumps have brought on Parliament, and retire to a quiet life doing odd-jobs for a far northern village community. Sheet-metal-worker-come-Speaker indeed.
- Richard, London
im taking bets that gorbels martin will stand down at the next general election. why> his pension. and i bet all parties will agree with him.except for the libs the rest are up to ears in the corruption.cameron was so pathetic by pretending to be decisive.nothing of the sort.hes been warned to be very selective.this lot are a shower but cameron will do deals behind closed doors.the only thing to change all this is an election now. cancel the european and local elections. democracy is at stake.it will take a great man to get this country back again
- Mikeeee, peterborough uk
Help get rid of him and Gordon Brown: -
http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/please-go/
- Joe, Thornton Heath, UK
I was just reading about how Michael Martin's wife has been allowed to run up a bill of £50,000 for travel. We tax payers are paying for her to travel from Glasgow to London, weekly, to 'support' he husband. Of course, no one outside of Westminster will be able to understand how this is justified. I think David Cameron has acted swiftly to appease the public, and Nick Clegg has shown courage to come out and demand Martin's step down, but none of this would have been the case had it not been for The Telegraph. Refunds and resignations and remorse are not enough. We need a new start.
- Ben Farrell, London
Another of Browns Scottish pals on the take.He should be sacked NOW not allowed to try and make excuses he has been caught like the other crooks and should GO
- Mike, London England
and hes a sweatie!!!
- Terry Sullivan, morden england
"Troughie" Gorbals Mick and his fellow countrymen in the Government have done more to bring this country to its knees than Hitler's Luftwaffe. He himself was most obstructive in the declaring of expense claims, and had it not been for the tenacity of The Telegraph we could never have known just how corrupt the system was.
Of course he must go - and the sooner the rest of his rotten crew depart the better. Time for an election.
- Alan, Essex
Getting rid of him is not enough. The whole system of how the Speaker is placed in office, and how to dismiss an incompetent or corrupt Speaker needs to be done away with and replaced with something democratic.
Giving the Speaker £100,000 and a gold-plated pension is not what I would call a satisfactory method of getting rid of the worst Speaker ever.
- Kate, London
They should also stop referring to each other as 'honourable', unless by use of that phrase they mean honour amongst thief's.
- Gary, Brentwood
Too little , too late. You can't make a silk purse out of a sows ear. these thieves need to be prosecuted.
- Ruckus, Myrtle Beach USA
It is time to hand us back our democracy, the only people capable of cleaning up parliament – is all of us. The call is for us to get OUR parliament back. We need a General Election now.
For the last 4 years 646 (to many) MP’s have held it in the power to protect and ensure the integrity of our parliament – all have failed.
- Ian, Reading, England
The speaker must go.
- Bloke, London
He has had plenty of opportunity to reform the expense claims. He wanted to block any transparency and investigation into the claims and now that his job is on the line, he has had a rethink. He has done irreparable damage to our Parliament and to democracy in this country and he must go now.
- Patricia, LONDON
So he would be the right person to set out MP's expenses reforms, would he. I don't think so!
- Dee Jay, Fleet Hampshire
He allowed the police to search the offices of a key member of the opposition without a warrant then passed the buck to a junior member of staff and when the expenses scandal broke his immediate reaction was to call the police back in to investigate who had leaked the information to the Nation.
The man is unfit for office.
- Roz, France
The only thing that most of us are interested in hearing from this over-promoted oik is the announcement of his iminent resignation.
He has been an apalling speaker, completely out of touch with public opinion and unashamedly partisan when in the chair at the Commons.
As chairman of the Commons Commission he has been instrumental in blocking freedom of information requests about MPs and in attemting to maintain the status quo with regard to the scandalous MP expense system.
He is a typical champagne socialist, keeping the grubby dealings of his elitist club secret and feathering his nest at the taxpayers expense. I understand that his wife is universally despised by staff at Westminster, as she seem to think that SHE has been elected to high office and also has the right to abuse the system, and in turn the taxpayer.
Martin has absolutely no credibility, either in the Commons, or with the public. He MUST go, and take the rest of his stinking, Britain-hating party with him.
- Keith Lonsdale, Doncaster
