Britain's parliament speaker to quit

The speaker of Britain's House of Commons will reportedly quit Tuesday in the first such resignation for over 300 years as MPs reel from an expenses scandal behind their worst political crisis for decades.

Michael Martin will make an announcement on his future at 2:30pm (1330 GMT) when business in the House of Commons starts for the day, the BBC and other media reported.

The news came amid intense criticism of Martin for failing to lead reforms which could have headed off the scandal over lawmakers expenses, which has caused fury in recession-hit Britain and dominated the headlines for days.

A total of 23 MPs from all the main political parties had signed a vote of no confidence in Martin.

And commentators said he was doomed following a nervous, bad-tempered session in the lower House of Commons Monday when he made a statement on the row -- but still faced repeated calls from lawmakers to quit.

Reports of his imminent resignation were welcomed by lawmakers from all sides of the political divide.

Douglas Carswell, a Conservative backbencher who led the campaign against Martin, told Sky News television that the speaker had "sought to prevent reform."

"We need a speaker who understands sovereignty of parliament is shorthand for sovereignty of the people," he said, adding that the resignation should be seen "not as an end in itself but as a beginning" of reforms to the system.

Another opponent, Labour backbencher David Winnick, said: "That is the right and honourable course to take. His resignation will be the first step in the house recovering its reputation."

A spokeswoman for Martin said: "I can confirm that the speaker is making a statement this afternoon and that it is about himself."

Martin -- a former sheet metal worker and trade unionist from Glasgow, Scotland who is also Labour MP for Glasgow North East -- looks set to become the first speaker to be ousted since 1695.

It is not clear exactly when he will leave his job. Some lawmakers want him to go immediately while others say he should step down after the next general election, which must be held by the middle of next year.

The media had predicted his downfall following Monday's almost unprecedented, chaotic scenes in the House of Commons when a series of lawmakers challenged his authority.

"Michael Martin is finished as speaker of the Commons," Peter Riddell wrote in The Times.

"It is now a question of when, not whether... his departure is widely seen as a necessary step, though only a symbolic one towards halting the slide in parliament's reputation and a shift away from self-regulation."

Details of members of parliament's expense claims -- ranging from swimming pool and tennis court repairs to installing a chandelier and cleaning a moat -- have leaked out in the Daily Telegraph newspaper over the last 11 days.

A Guardian/ICM poll out Tuesday showed the damage the row has done to Prime Minister Gordon Brown's reputation, and how David Cameron -- leader of the main opposition Conservatives, who has been quick to urge reform -- has benefited.

A total of 69 percent said Brown had handled the situation badly, while 55 percent said Cameron had performed well.

Overall, the poll put Brown's ruling Labour Party on 28 percent and Cameron's Conservatives on 39 percent.

ICM interviewed 1002 people by telephone between May 15 and 17.