LONDON — The scandal of British members of Parliament fiddling with their expenses started almost two weeks ago as a joke, but has become more serious by the day. This afternoon, it claimed its first high-profile victim as the speaker of the House of Commons, Michael Martin, resigned.
Standing on the speaker's platform, in front of the green leather chair from which he tries to keep order, the Labour MP from Glasgow said, "Since I first came to this House 30 years ago I have always felt that the House is at its best when it is united. In order that unity can be maintained I have decided that I will relinquish the office of Speaker on Sunday 21st June. This will allow the House to proceed to elect a new Speaker on Monday 22nd of June. That is all I have to say on this matter."
He then called on the foreign secretary, David Miliband, for the next order of business, Foreign Office question time. It was a terse way to mark an important moment in history: This was the first time in three centuries that a speaker has been forced out of the position.
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