WORLD BRIEFING / BRITAIN
The senior-most official in Britain’s lower house of Parliament apologized to the nation for a scandal over lawmaker expenses that has prompted calls for early elections.
“Please allow me to say to the men and women of the United Kingdom that we have let you down very badly indeed,” Speaker Michael Martin said in a speech to a packed chamber.
Sidestepping calls to quit over his handling of the crisis, Martin said he would meet with party leaders to discuss reforms to a system that saw claims for everything from bath plugs and cookies to cat food, tennis court repairs and high-definition TVs.
“We must all accept blame, and to the extent that I have contributed to the situation, I am profoundly sorry,” said Martin.
Conservative Douglas Carswell and 14 other lawmakers from the three main parties called on Martin to resign.
Forcing Martin’s resignation would be a constitutional landmark on par with the abdication of a monarch or a U.S. president’s impeachment, said John Curtice, professor of politics in Scotland.
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