LONDON - A group of British lawmakers urged the House of Commons speaker Monday to quit over his handling of legislators' excessive expense claims, seeking to oust a speaker for the first time in more than 300 years.
Fifteen legislators called on Michael Martin to resign as a scandal over the use of taxpayers' money by lawmakers continued to spread.
Newly disclosed claims show that some lawmakers used public money to pay off mortgages, repair tennis courts and buy luxury furniture. The revelations have fueled mistrust of politicians and angered people struggling through the recession.
Britain's newspapers are reporting that major donors to the governing Labour Party have threatened stop giving, which would limit the amount the deeply indebted party could spend in a likely 2010 national election.
Martin, a Labour lawmaker, was elected by fellow legislators in 2000. He has been criticized for ignoring warnings the expense system needed reform and trying to block publication of the claims.
He's long been unpopular with opposition lawmakers, who accuse him of bias in a what is seen as a nonpartisan role. Many were angered last November when he allowed police to raid a lawmaker's office in defiance of centuries-old tradition that forbids police to enter Parliament without the permission of legislators.
Conservative lawmaker Douglas Carswell and 14 other lawmakers from all three of Britain's major parties called on Martin to resign. Carswell said his motion could trigger a formal House of Commons debate on Martin's future.
"Let's just get this straight, this is not about scapegoating the speaker," Labour lawmaker Kate Hoey told the BBC. "This is about how we move now to ensure the public have a chance of getting back some of the trust in Parliament and its politicians."
If removed, Martin would be the first speaker ousted since 1695, when John Trevor was removed for accepting a bribe.
The speaker keeps order during debates, decides which lawmakers are called on to speak and represents chamber in discussions with Queen Elizabeth II and the House of Lords. He can suspend a session due to disorder, suspend lawmakers who break rules and order legislators to withdraw abusive remarks.
Martin has previously been criticized for his own expenses claims, including the use of taxpayer money to pay for taxi rides for his wife's shopping trips.
"It is now obvious to everyone that the speaker is not the man for this job," said Liberal Democrat lawmaker Roger Williams.
Martin planned to address lawmakers later Monday.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown's Labour Party is likely to suffer the most damage, because it has failed to reform the system during 12 years in office.
Anthony Bailey, who has donated 72,000 pounds (US$110,000) to Labour and recruited other donors, was quoted by The Observer newspaper as saying he would stop.
"I have no intention of giving a single penny to Labour at this time, and I cannot see how I could introduce any of my contacts either," he said, the newspaper reported.
