THE veteran MP for Middlesbrough, Stuart Bell, put it into context by saying there had “never been in the history of our land such an attack on the Speaker”.

The fact that MPs are lining up to call for the figurehead of the House of Commons to step down, underlines the gravity of the situation facing Parliament amid the expenses scandal that has shocked the nation.

There is, of course, a serious danger that Michael Martin is being used as a scapegoat by MPs, eager to shift the blame from their own shoulders.

Any MPs who believe that Mr Martin’s scalp alone will quell public outrage, and make it all go away, are sadly deluded.

Nevertheless, it is a good place to start the cleansing process. The Speaker is a symbolic post, representing the standards of the Commons, and those standards are in shreds.

Mr Martin’s judgement is crucial to the workings of the House of Commons, but it has been lacking throughout this sorry episode.

By blocking successive attempts to have expenses details released under Freedom of Information laws, and attacking MPs who called for greater transparency, he has fuelled the perception that there is a great deal to hide.

The House of Commons is in dire need of a clean-up and that process cannot have any credibility unless its figurehead is replaced by someone untainted by the shenanigans of recent weeks.

Scapegoat or not, Michael Martin must go. It is an essential step forward.