The Speaker's supporters say he has long been the victim of snobbery. A no confidence motion in House of Commons Speaker Michael Martin is to be tabled by a Conservative backbencher. MP Douglas Carswell is to make the move following a furore over Mr Martin's handling of leaks of MPs' expenses. Some MPs felt he was more concerned with attacking those who criticised him than responding to public anger. Labour MP Gordon Prentice argued that the speaker was now "too compromised" by recent events and so should stand down immediately. 'The wrong man' Mr Prentice and fellow Labour MP Paul Flynn say they will back Mr Carswell's motion, to be tabled next week. And Lib Dem Norman Lamb has become the fourth MP to publicly call for Mr Martin to go. Mr Prentice said the Speaker's handling of the expenses crisis proved he could no longer defend the interests of Parliament. He said it would be absurd if Mr Martin "soldiered on" until the end of the current Parliament and said his successor must be chosen by a secret ballot of MPs. Speaker Martin is not the right man to have at the helm
Gordon Prentice
Labour MP
Profile: Michael Martin Speaker angry over expenses leak Q&A: Speaker under pressure "Speaker Martin is not the right man to have at the helm," he told the BBC. "He is too compromised." "It is a question of competence and acting fairly and in a non-partisan manner," he said. Mr Carswell, a long-time critic of Mr Martin, says he has already picked up more than half a dozen sponsors for his motion and that it has cross-party support. But he told the BBC he wanted to give MPs the opportunity to go back to their constituencies at the weekend, to understand the public anger about the expenses furore and realise change is needed. "We need a new speaker with a mandate for radical change to make politicians work for the people," he said. "I'm not having a dig at Michael Martin because he is anything other than a decent, honest, honourable man. "I just happen to think he is bad at doing the job of Speaker." 'Pearls of wisdom' Newport West MP Paul Flynn told BBC Wales: "He hasn't led the House of Commons - he's been too defensive and has actually attacked the whistleblowers. We need someone who is interested in exposing the errors of the past and is willing to introduce new rules." And Liberal Democrat frontbencher Norman Lamb told the BBC he would sign the motion. "The final straw came on Monday when he attacked backbenchers in Parliament over this whole expenses debacle. And I felt that at that point he lost his impartiality," Mr Lamb said. Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. The BBC's political editor Nick Robinson said the number of public calls for Mr Martin to go was unprecedented. On Monday, in a statement to the Commons, Mr Martin angrily defended the decision to ask police to investigate where the expenses leak came from. He rebuked Labour MP Kate Hoey, who said it was a waste of money when police had a "huge" job to do in London, telling her: "I hear your public utterances and your pearls of wisdom on Sky News. It's easy to talk then." He also rebuked Lib Dem MP Norman Baker, who has long campaigned for greater transparency on MPs' expenses, as "another member who is keen to say to the press what the press wants to hear". Mr Baker said later he "appeared to be defending vested interests rather than leading us out of this mess". In further bad-tempered exchanges on Tuesday Labour's David Winnick challenged Mr Martin to apologise for his comments to Ms Hoey. Employment Minister Tony McNulty has criticised Mr Martin over his dealings with Ms Hoey and Mr Baker. You have got to understand that a lot of things happen in the heat of the moment
Gordon Brown He said he did not believe the speaker was doing a bad job, but he "thought he was a bit heavy-handed with Kate Hoey and Norman Baker". Mr McNulty added: "I think that does detract from the overall reasonable job that he's doing." Conservative leader David Cameron has not criticised Mr Martin, saying it was "a very important constitutional principle that the Opposition supports the Speaker's office and the role of the Speaker". Prime Minister Gordon Brown has also said Mr Martin "does a good job" adding: "You have got to understand that a lot of things happen in the heat of the moment." Mr Martin has been Speaker, the presiding officer of the House of Commons, since 2000. He has found himself embroiled in some controversy - most recently over the handling of the arrest of the Conservative frontbencher Damian Green and search of his Commons office. His critics have also questioned his own use of expenses and accused him of not being impartial. But his supporters say the Glasgow North East MP - a former sheet metal worker - has faced unprecedented snobbery and slurs since becoming Speaker in 2000.
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The Right Honourable Michael Martin MP, the Speaker of the British House of Commons, faces a vote of no confidence this week. This motion will be launched by Tory Douglas Carswell MP. Martin addressed the House of Commons at 15:30 BST (14:30 UTC).

The Right Honourable Michael Martin MP in 2008Speaker Martin has faced much controversy over his handling of a recent scandal involving the expenses of Members of Parliament (MPs). Martin defended the House of Commons' authorities that requested a police investigation with regard to this leak, causing anger amongst many MPs.

In his statement, the Speaker apologised to the public saying that "we have let you down". He also personally apologised: "I am profoundly sorry". He acknowledged that "each and every member, including myself, must work hard to regain your trust".

Sir Christopher Kelly will release a report in Autumn about expenses, and the Speaker said that the House should take steps until then and MPs should not file further expense claims. Some MPs urged an interim report to be published before this. The Speaker urged leaders of all Parliamentary parties, including the Prime Minister, to meet with the Speaker and House of Commons Commission within 48 hours to discuss expenses.

After the speech, various MPs asked the Speaker questions. Carswell asked "when will members be able to choose a new leader?" and David Winnick MP asked for information about when the Speaker will retire. Bob Spink, the Independent MP for Castle Point, said that his constituents did not want the Speaker to be a "scapegoat". Labour MP for Middlesbrough, Sir Stuart Bell, said "the majority of the House will support this statement you made today" and noted "never in history has there been such an attack on Speaker".

In the UK, attacking the Speaker defies a long-standing tradition; the last Speaker to be forced from office was Sir John Trevor in 1695 for accepting a bribe.

Even before the speech, MPs from all major parties have supported this motion; Nick Clegg, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, has urged the speaker to resign. On his blog, Carswell claimed that he 'continues to pick up support for the motion'.

Martin's friend, the Labour Lord Foulkes, has suggested Martin is a victim of snobbery, as the Speaker is "someone from a working class background in Glasgow".

In the past, Martin has been involved in several past scandals, including that he made excessive claims for the use of taxis, and for over £1,600,000 spent on the Speaker's residence.