Michael Martin to quit, but not until after next Election to install son
in 'hereditary' seat and claim £100,000 golden parachute
By Simon Walters
Last updated at 11:41 AM on 17th May 2009
Michael Martin has agreed to quit as Speaker following a revolt by MPs
and claims that he failed to curb MPs’ expenses, it was revealed last
night.
But he is fighting a rearguard action to stay on as an MP for another
year so he can keep £100,000 of pay and perks and help his son Paul to
inherit his Glasgow seat.
Mr Martin faces humiliation tomorrow when MPs try to force him out of
the Speaker’s chair by tabling a motion of no confidence in him.
Pressure on the Commons Speaker was dramatically escalated today when
Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg joined public calls for him to quit.
Speaking on the Andrew Marr Show today, Mr Clegg said: 'I do not think
the Speaker should be made a scapegoat...
many MPs.
'But equally I do not think we can afford the luxury of a Speaker, who
is supposed to embody Westminster, who has been dragging his feet on
transparency and greater accountability in the way MPs receive their
expenses.'
Mr Clegg also said voters should have the power to force by-elections to
remove expense cheat MPs.
In an attempt to avoid becoming the first Speaker for 313 years to be
sacked, Mr Martin’s friends last night said he had agreed to ‘pre-
announce’ his resignation in the next few weeks, while carrying on in
the Speaker’s chair until the next Election, when he would step down.
Many MPs say his only hope of achieving that is to make the announcement
now.
But a growing number of Tory and Lib Dem MPs say he must step down
immediately.
It would leave Mr Martin with two options: a humiliating return to the
backbenches, from where he would have to obey the orders of his
successor; or quit politics altogether, causing a by-election in his
Glasgow North East seat which Labour could well lose, thereby dashing
his dream of handing over his seat to his son Paul at the next General
Election.
Mr Martin’s hopes of avoiding a bloody end to his eight years presiding
over the Commons faded as it emerged that:
* Four of the five MPs on the House of Commons Commission chaired by
Mr Martin think he should go.
* Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg and Tory big hitter David Davis joined
the campaign to get him out.
* His former media adviser, John Stonborough, has revealed he missed
an opportunity to clean up the expenses system and 'exploded with rage'
when challenged about his own second home allowance claims.
The Speaker is pinning his hopes on fellow Scot and friend Gordon Brown,
who fears if Mr Martin is bundled out now he will have to resign as an
MP as well.
That could lead to a disastrous by-election defeat for Labour to the
Scottish Nationalists.
Mr Martin is believed to have another motive in wishing to carry on as a
backbencher until the next Election.
Michael Martin wants to install son Paul as MP in Glasgow North East
'Hereditary'
determined to help his son Paul take over his seat in Westminster
Labour sources say he is determined to help his son, Paul, a Member of
the Scottish Parliament to take over his Westminster seat.
That would be impossible in a high profile by-election where any such
nepotism could cause a backlash, but such a reaction is less likely in a
General Election where individual candidates receive less attention.
Furthermore, an early departure from the Commons would lead to Mr
Martin, 63, losing the financial and other benefits of his £138,000-a-
year post for the maximum possible time.
He has been involved in a series of expenses controversies himself and
has claimed almost £45,000 of expenses on his constituency home in the
last four years - despite enjoying a lavish grace-and-favour apartment.
One of Mr Martin's former aides, John Stonborough, has even spoken out
to place the blame for the expenses fiasco on Mr Martin.
He said Mr Martin waged a 'reign of terror' in which he vetoed radical
reform of the expenses system in a series of meetings and 'exploded with
rage' when challenged about his own second home allowance claims.
Mr Stonborough told The Sunday Times that the Speaker took control of
the rules on expenses and allegedly personally edited the key 2004
edition of the Green Book on parliamentary allowances.
The Mail on Sunday has been told Mr Martin has also lost the backing of
the powerful Commons Commission which he chairs.
The Commission is in charge of MPs’ expenses and the overall
administration of the Commons.
Of the five members of the Commission, four are said to agree Mr Martin
should resign.
They are Deputy Labour Leader Harriet Harman, Labour elder statesman Sir
Stuart Bell, Shadow Commons Leader Alan Duncan and Lib Dem MP Nick
Harvey.
Ominously for Mr Martin, there were signs last night that he is losing
support in his Scottish Labour heartland.
Allies in Glasgow who had defended him staunchly are said to now agree
he has little option but to go.
Senior Lib Dem peer Lord Oakeshott said: ‘Leaving Michael Martin in
charge of cleaning up expenses is like putting Fred Goodwin in charge of
cleaning up banks.’
The race to succeed Mr Martin meanwhile was thrown open after most of
the leading candidates found themselves caught up in the expenses row.
Favourites had included Tory MP Sir Alan Haselhurst, one of Mr Martin’s
deputies.
He has claimed more than £140,000 in second-home allowances on his
country home despite having no mortgage on it.
Tory MP Douglas Carswell is to table a Commons motion tomorrow calling
for Mr Martin to go.
In an article for today’s Mail on Sunday, he says: ‘Not since the Civil
War has our Parliament been so supine and spineless in the face of an
overbearing, unchecked executive.
‘The removal of Mr Martin is an essential start.’
Today’s BPIX poll for The Mail on Sunday shows Mr Carswell has massive
public support: A total of 54 per cent think the Speaker should resign.
Only 13 per cent support him to stay.
Http://www.dailymai
Election-install-
Sunday, 17 May 2009
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