Martin starts off with an apology to the British public.
Within 48 hours, Martin will sum the party leaders together with the Commons Committee to thrash out a deal on the second home allowance and other matters.
Martin wants a moratorium on expenses claim.
Martin refuses to engage when asked if Carswell’s motion of no confidence will be tabled and debated. This is going badly for him, he’s lost control of the House.
Winnick asks Martin to retire early for the good of the House, Martin again refuses to engage. This is painful.
Even by Martin’s own standards, this is a halting and garbled performance.
Sir Patrick Cormack says that the situation Parliament finds itself in is akin to the situation the country found itself in at the time of the Norway debate and asks the Speaker to reflect on that. Polite and all the more devastating for it.
Sir Stuart Bell’s intervention in support of the Speaker is met with a mix of silence and barracking. This is not going well for the Speaker.
David Davis, who has signed Carswell’s motion, asks how a backbencher can put down a substantive motion.
Bob Spink, the Tory turned independent, speaks in favour of Martin.
The Speaker stops Mark Field, Tory MP who has fallen out with the leadership, from asking about the claims for mortgages that had already been paid off.
That was an absolute disaster for the Speaker. He has not made clear that he is going and his halting performance only demonstrated why so many people think he is not up to the job.
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