Lib Dem leader has become the first party leader publicly to call on House of Commons Speaker Michael Martin to quit. The BBC has the story:
Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg has called on Commons Speaker Michael Martin to stand down, saying he has become an obstacle to much-needed reform of Parliament. Mr Clegg said the speaker should do the “decent thing” and step aside, saying he was not the “right man” for the job. He criticised the speaker for “dragging his feet” over the issue of MPs’ expenses, causing such public anger. …
By becoming the most senior politician – and first party leader – to call for the speaker’s resignation, Mr Clegg will dramatically increase the momentum behind moves to unseat him. Mr Clegg told the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show that he was not seeking the speaker’s resignation “lightly or with any relish” but that it was clear that it was a necessary step to rebuilding confidence in Parliament.
“I don’t think he is the right man for the job of leading a renewal of Westminster,” he said. The speaker was a “dogged defender of the status quo”, Mr Clegg added, when what Parliament now needed was a radical reformer. Mr Clegg was particularly critical of the speaker’s handling of the expenses crisis, saying he had stood in the way of greater “transparency and accountability” in the allowances system.
You can watch an excerpt of Nick’s interview with the BBC’s Andrew Marr HERE.