BRITAIN:MICHAEL MARTIN, the speaker of the British House of Commons, was under growing pressure last night to explain his use of generous parliamentary expenses and allowances.
As the Conservatives warned that Martin had a "problem" - and Labour MPs claimed he was the subject of a "witch-hunt" - the speaker faced the threat of a parliamentary investigation into his finances. John Lyon, the parliamentary commissioner for standards, was last night asked by the TaxPayers' Alliance to investigate whether Martin had abused parliamentary expenses and allowances in the light of a series of new disclosures. Mr Lyon is obliged to examine all such complaints although the commissioner could rule that the complaint is unfounded.
Mr Martin, who became speaker in 2000 after the retirement of the popular Betty Boothroyd, found himself under pressure after disclosures over the weekend. These included: The resignation of his spokesman, the veteran Whitehall communications chief Mike Granatt, after he admitted that he had unwittingly misled the Mail on Sundayover £4,000 taxi expenses incurred by the speaker's wife Mary.
Mr Granatt blamed unnamed officials, but not the speaker, for falsely informing him that the expenses were legitimate because Mr Martin's wife had been accompanied by an official on shopping trips to buy food for receptions. It turned out that she had been accompanied by her housekeeper.
Two Sunday newspapers said Mr Martin claimed £17,166 last year towards the cost of his Glasgow constituency home, on which he no longer pays a mortgage. The claim was made from the additional costs allowance, which is to help MPs who live away from London. David Davis, the shadow home secretary, said the speaker was in a difficult position. "Clearly he has got problems."
David Blunkett, the former home secretary, told Sky News that Mr Martin was facing a "witch-hunt". Margaret Beckett, the former foreign secretary, told the Andrew Marr programme: "There have been a whole string of nasty stories around Michael Martin. Clearly someone is out to get him. Whether any of it is valid, I can't judge."