MICHAEL MARTIN, the Commons Speaker, is preparing to defy his critics by seeking to stand for a third term.

The Glasgow MP has made it clear that he hopes to continue in the £78,575 post after the next general election, despite the furore over his handling of the police raid on the offices of Damian Green, the shadow immigration minister. With his MP’s salary Martin earns a total of £141,866.

The revelation – through his official spokeswoman – will be greeted with incredulity by many backbenchers, who had assumed he would step down at the end of this parliament. Although his critics acknowledge that he is determined not to be forced out, they hoped that he would retire quietly when the country went to the polls.

Instead, on Friday night his office authorised his spokeswoman to declare that his position “has not changed” since he issued an unequivocal declaration in 2007 that he would stand again. “He has always been clear that he will continue as long as his constituents in Glasgow North East and the House of Commons want him to,” she added.

The surprise move raises the prospect of a showdown in the Commons, with MPs from all parties privately questioning his competence. If Martin insists on standing again, Labour MPs will be forced to choose between loyalty to their party and backing a Speaker whom many no longer support.

Yesterday some reacted with surprise and anger. “It is preposterous that he wants to go on. What on earth is wrong with him? Most of us want him to call it a day. He’s had a long time in parliament; he’ll get a peerage – he should just go,” one former minister said.

If Martin persists, he would stand at the next general election, expected in 2010, as the “speaker seeking reelection”. By tradition, the Tories and Liberal Democrats would not field parliamentary candidates to stand against him in the Glasgow North East constituency and, by parliamentary convention, he would not be forcibly ousted from his post.

However, the haemorrhaging of his support on the back benches means he will face a battle to achieve his ambition. The SNP is certain to field a parliamentary candidate in Glasgow North East, while Labour insiders warn that if Martin refuses to back down in the coming months, a delegation is likely to be dispatched to persuade him to retire with dignity.

In a highly unusual move, Bob Marshall-Andrews, the Labour backbencher, yesterday broke with tradition by publicly calling on him to resign over the Green affair.

MPs believe that Martin should have done more to stop police searching Green’s offices without a warrant.

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