LONDON: The speaker of Britain’s
lower house said on Tuesday he would step down in June after lawmakers
from all the main parties demanded he resign over an expenses scandal
that has tarnished the reputation of parliament.
Michael Martin,
63, becomes the most senior figure to step down after parliamentarians’
expense claims for everything from manure to porn films triggered
outrage across recession-hit Britain and opposition calls for an early
general election.
“In order that unity can be maintained, I have
decided that I will relinquish the office of speaker on Sunday, June
21,”Martin said in a short statement to a packed parliament. Parliament
will elect a new speaker, who could come from any of the major parties,
by secret ballot on June 22.
The last speaker forced from the
post was John Trevor, who lost the confidence of the house in 1695 for
taking a bribe. The speaker is parliament’s most senior official and
his departure escalates the crisis engulfing British politics.
Martin
has been criticised for opposing transparency on expense claims by
members of parliament (MPs) but some lawmakers said he was being made a
scapegoat for parliament’s failings.
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