UK Commons speaker apologises

[EireWarrior]

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UK Commons speaker apologises
Monday, 18 May 2009 17:18

The Speaker of Britain's lower house of parliament has apologised for the ongoing expenses scandal.

Speaker Michael Martin said in the course of a statement in the House of Commons 'Please allow me to say to the men and women of the United Kingdom that we have let you down very badly indeed.'

Sidestepping calls to step down over his handling of the crisis, the Speaker said he would meet party leaders within the next 48 hours to discuss reforms to an allowances system which has seen lawmakers claim for everything from biscuits to cleaning work on their swimming pools.

Earlier, Prime Minister Gordon Brown called for 'root and branch' reform to defuse a scandal that has damaged the main political parties.

And opposition leader David Cameron, whose party is well ahead in the polls, told Britons to campaign for an early general election.

An election is due by mid-2010 but Mr Brown is expected to resist pressure to go to the polls with the country in its deepest recession since World War Two.

Mr Brown said he had been 'angered and appalled' by days of disclosures about lawmakers' questionable and sometimes lavish expenses.

Support for the Labour party, in power since 1997, has been hit particularly hard by the revelations over MPs' allowances and public anger could favour fringe parties in the local and European elections on 4 June.