When the Prime Minister gives you a vote of confidence - you know it's the kiss of death - and the end is nigh.

alan madox, wirral, ENGLAND

To be honest I didn't expect anything less. He scottish so he automatically gets Brown's vote and Labour have a majority in the house so he cannot lose.

steve tea, manchester, cheshire

They will all make excuses for him in case they are caught out as well. But it just goes to show it must go all the way to the top
Matin Bell or Norman baker for PM I say

syd, Leeds, UK

Just another inept labourite with his nose in the trough.

SOS, England,

I have just read readers letters in four other papers and they all say the same thing, There is no witch hunt, Martin has stolen money from the tax payer and should go, As the man no shame he got caught with his fingers in the till,

John, Lancaster, England

The show of support for Mr Martin would be more impressive if the positive comments didn't all come from Labour people, plus Nick Clegg, who has his own procedural reasons for buttering up the Speaker at the moment. The lack of cross-party support is quite damning in itself.

John B, Middlesbrough, UK

MP's have to be careful. If they appear too supportive, people will assume they too are just as corrupt, and are protecting him, or people will start looking into their situations.

Arthur, Newcastle,

for god's sake! where the devil is Tony Benn coming from again? one would have thought he would have grown up by now! His blinkered guilt ridden pronunciations on any issue
regarding anyone who has used his hands to make a living are old hat.
Martin is a bloody disaster as this godforsaken party knew when they deliberately picked him when it was the turn of a Tory to be speaker. Where was the opposition then? on their
knees? He has been unfair, partisan, and dishonest. Get him out!

thevoice, Beverley, East Yorkshire

Speaking about Michael Martin today Nick Clegg joins a growing number of MPs - from all parties - whose line is that it's all about the future and making sure the new rules work and these things cannot happen again. A very indignant Ruth Kelly used the approach on Question Time (after Vince Cable suggested we may not have heard the truth about rendition). Alan Duncan made similar noises.

This so misses the public mood and shows how desperate all parties are to avoid exposing their own 'skeletons'. What has happened to the principle of 'being seen to do the right thing'. I am left with the feeling that many MPs would pick up and pocket a wage packet from the street rather than hand it in. Their attitude is 'I know it's not right but if I can take advantage and no-one will know....'
Those that take this approach are morally bankrupt and those that blindly defend them equally so.

BUSTOP, nottinghamshire,

Why does his pervious job as a sheet metal worker have anything to do with his ability to be speaker - Bernard Wetherill was a tailor before becoming speaker - so what?

Please drop this working class hero socialist nonesense and focus on the issue - has he or has he not misled the Commons on his expenses?

Peter, quetzal,

Brown supports Martin. What do you expect from a fellow Scot? If Martin is a 'very very good speaker' that shows Brown's standard. This prime minister is presiding over a number of scandals, immigration out of control, inland revenue data loss, tax payer propping up Northern Rock, GPs
bankers hours, increased street crime and no safety in streets etc.. etc.. One more 'Martin' scandal is alright with him.
Brown should be voted out if we have any sense.

Norman, York,

The Labour party is corrupt from top to bottom simple as that.

D Case, Newquay,

Start packing your bags Martin, Gordon the Jinx is supporting you. Hahahaha

Roger, Surrey,

Such inverted snobbery is typical of our supposedly meritocratic government. So he was a sheet metal worker? So what? As a speaker he's unspeakably ineffective and his humble origins don't mean he didn't get his snout in the Westminster trough faster then you could say "Prescott". I suppose Tony Benn is proud that it's an equal opportunities gravy-train. And as for his son...

Neil McF, Southampton, England

Gorden Brown and Nu-liebour, They are saying it is a witch hunt what rubbish he got caught with your fingers in the till, this is tax payers money it should not be used on 4,000 pounds worth of taxi fares for his wife's shoping trips,

John, Lancaster, England

This goverment has utterly corrupted British Politics with its self service and its denial to take any responsibility, both individually and as a group, for anything it does.

They all have their hands in the till, from top to bottom.

Paul, Andover,

It's time for porcine Pincher Martin to move up to the other place and become Lord of the Flies

Neil McF, Southampton, England

The Speaker has to go: his actions in Parliament illustrate his shortcomings, namely, extreme bias favouring one side of the House at the expense of the other side; lack of judgment in certain matters needing his decision, and now, this. He has to be seen as 'whiter than white', and with his wife being so avaricious he must not defend her, but he has to return the money extorted from the British Public.
The most damning aspect of the Speaker's affair is the 'defence' put forward by the New Labour members. There can be no defence of such an effete official. I doubt he will be sufficiently principled to resign. Once again the standards of MPs are being noted; Parliament is not the place it used to be, and the demeanour of MPs is sadly wanting, as is their belief that they are a special 'animal' .It is time they displayed some principle, set a much better example to the country when Parliament is shown to be debating something or other Democracy is being replaced by opportunity

John Hill, Port Talbot, Wales

Members of Parliament seem to live in another world where tens of thousands of pounds can be claimed against a house that is bearing no costs, air miles for his family, taxis for entertaining etc. The public purse is an impersonal sea of money , the extraction of which is not deemed stealing. Don't tell me this character was not put where he is by this Socialist mob to suit their ends, for I would not believe you. Get rid of him first, and then them.

Roger, London, England

Speaker Martin and many other MPs may not have broken any rules, that is because they set the rules themselves, Expenses should not be available for household expenses, that is what a generous salary is for.
Some complain that they are underpaid, then let them demonstrate that by leaving their seat and taking an outside job at a higher salary, as is the rest of the population's only alternative.

KW, Bognor Regis, England

I would think that given the state of this Government "endorsement" from Gordon Brown must be about as welcome as a kiss from Dracula - and just as lethal!

Chris, Ealing, UK

Oh dear! Was not the last person strongly supported by Brown called Peter Hain? Now he is strongly supporting Mr Martin. I wish him luck and less support from the PM.

M. Cawdery, Portadown, UK

Are these people aware of the damage they do by supporting a man who claims many tens of thousands of pounds in respect of a cost-free asset (his house) and uses business air miles to fly his family around? A pox on all their venal hides. Quis custodiet indeed.

Chris, London,

Surely acquiescence rather than acquisition? And anyway, he's been a pretty terrible Speaker, letting ministers and in particular the Prime Minister get away with not answering questions and responding with their own questions instead. That, rather than the funding row, is why he should go. Being a sheet metal worker has nothing to do it with it and his defenders bringing that up all the time merely undermine his position further.

G, London,

Of course he will - surprise - surprise !!

Ian Payne, Walsall,