Britain's Speaker apologises, election calls grow

By Adrian Croft and Keith Weir

LONDON (Reuters) - The most senior official in Britain's lower house of parliament apologised to the nation on Monday for an expenses scandal among lawmakers that has prompted growing calls for an early general election.

"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 step down over his handling of the crisis, Martin said he would meet party leaders within the next 48 hours to discuss reforms to an allowances system which has seen lawmakers claim for everything from bathplugs and biscuits to cat food and cleaning work on their swimming pools.

"We must all accept blame and to the extent that I have contributed to the situation, I am profoundly sorry," said Martin, dressed in the Speaker's black robe.

Earlier, Prime Minister Gordon Brown called for "root and branch" reform to defuse a scandal that has damaged all the main political parties but appears to be hitting Labour hardest after 12 years in power.

Opposition leader David Cameron, whose Conservative party is well ahead in opinion polls, urged Britons to campaign for an early general election, saying the removal of the Speaker would not be enough to restore parliament's authority.

Martin, a former metal worker and trade union official who grew up in a working class part of Scotland, blocked a debate over his future in parliament.

If ousted, he would be the first Speaker to be sacked since John Trevor lost his post for taking bribes in 1695. His departure would spark a by-election in his constituency in Glasgow and could add to calls for a national poll.