SPEAKER of the House of Commons Michael Martin has come under fire after it was revealed his wife has spent UKP50,000 of public money on flights.
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As Speaker, Martin’s job is to be above the fray of normal party politics, but now he risks getting dragged into the row over Labour government MPs, such as Peter Hain, breaking finance rules.
Mary Martin spent about half the flight cash on foreign travel and half on shuttle flights between London and one of the couple’s homes, in Glasgow, where Martin is an MP.
“When Mr Martin was appointed it was accepted that Mrs Martin was entitled to receive support for certain travel expenses to enable her to support her husband in his official duties,” said a House of Commons spokesperson.
The Martins have courted controversy before. Last year, it was revealed Martin has spent over UKP20,000 on lawyers fees out of taxpayers money, while Mary was lambasted for being exempt from security checks when entering the Palace of Westminster.
