Britain's parliament speaker resigns over lawmakers' expenses scandal

He made the announcement on Tuesday afternoon at the House of Commons "in order that unity can be maintained" in the Commons. Meanwhile, a new speaker will be elected on June 22. It is the first time in 300 years a speaker has been effectively forced out. Martin has been attacked for trying to keep MPs' expenses claims secret even after they were revealed by media reports. A motion of no confidence in him has been backed by 23 MPs. As cries for him to stand down reached a peak on Monday, Martin finally told the MPs that he was "profoundly sorry" for his part in events. Earlier, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown had said it was a matter for the House of Commons to decide, not the government. Martin is the MP for Glasgow North East and speaker since 2000.He is due to meet party leaders later to discuss interim reform proposals for MPs' expenses, Kazinform cites Xinhuanet. See www.chinaview.cn for full version.