Your morning papers Mr. Speaker
The full round-up of front pages can be found at SkyNews. Next speaker betting. Mike Smithson
Could Alan Beith win his final campaign?
The money piles on the Lib Dem after he declares his candidature? The big mover on the Next Speaker Betting markets has been the veteran Lib Dem MP Alan Beith who first entered the commons 36 years ago at the Berwick upon Tweed by election. What marks Beith out is that he’s declared that he’s a runner and that, surely, must now rule out fellow Lib Dem, Ming Campbell who was scarred by one of the Daily Telegraph exposes. I’ve…
Could Martin wreak a terrbile revenge on Brown?
Mail Online Does he know too much about Brown’s role in expense-gate? There’s a must-read piece by Peter Oborne in the Mail this morning suggesting that if Gordon is complicit (sanctioning a confidence debate say) in Martin’s demise then the prime minister’s position could become even more precarious. Here’s a taster: “…..the Prime Minister’s supporters fear that if the Speaker believes Brown has betrayed him or been disloyal in any way, he is capable of wreaking a terrible revenge…Their greatest…
Is the Speaker’s plan to soldier on regardless?
Will Martin dare risk a confidence vote? These are indeed amazing days and we’ll know in a few hours how Michael Martin plans to deal with the increasing clamour for him to go following Nick Clegg’s unprecedented call by a party leader for him to step down. His choices are stark. Make an announcement today that he’s going or, as is being reported, try to buy time until the election by taking the initiative on the MP expenses issue. If…
Is Martin’s position now untenable?
Click here to watch Clegg’s call Has Clegg’s call pushed this beyond the point of no return? On the face of it Michael Martin’s position is toast. A commons motion that’s been put down calling for him to go is attracting increasing all-party support and in a surprise intervention this morning Lib Dem leader, Nick Clegg called for him to go. The Clegg call was the more remarkable because the convention is that party leaders simply don’t act like that….