Elliot Morley, the former environment minister, is likely to become the 13th MP to stand down over the expenses scandal after he confirmed today he would face a meeting of local party members.

Mr Morley, who claimed £16,000 over 18 months for a mortgage that did not exist, has already been suspended by the Labour Party. Scotland Yard is also considering whether to launch a criminal probe.

The Scunthorpe MP said he was now arranging a meeting with his local party association and is widely expected in Labour circles to step down in its wake.

Mr Morley refused to confirm he will inform activists he is standing aside at the next general election.

“I will release a statement after I have spoken to them,” he added.

As the list of retiring MPs grows some politicians, notably Nick Clegg, the Liberal Democrat leader, are calling on them to go now rather than wait for the election, when they will receive generous resettlement and winding-up allowances. The 12 members who have already confirmed they are stepping down will cost the taxpayer more than £1 million.

But unless the MPs voluntarily move aside they are unlikely to be forced out by their parties. Most of them insist they have have not broken either the rules or the law but are going because they can no longer take the pressure.

Proceedings to eject them are unlikely to have time to run their course before the forthcoming general election while the main parties are unlikely to want to spend resources on by-elections.

William Hague, the Shadow Foreign Secretary, said that the expenses scandals had created a massive public appetite for a swift general election.

Mr Hague told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I have been to all parts of the UK over the last few weeks and the most common thing people say is, ‘When can we have a general election?’

“Parliament has lost its moral authority. The Government has lost its energy and authority. We need the general election now to give these things back to our Parliament and Government.”

David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, told the same programme: “The mainstream parties have created a political vacuum through the failure to create an expenses system that has real credibility and the confidence of the public. It is important for us to show that we have the moral authority to restore that.

“I think it is very important that we do put into practice the reforms to the expenses system. All the mainstream party leaders have now said that they will accept the conclusions of the Kelly Review in advance. That is good.

“We have got to make sure that we take this forward into wider political reform and show that we are able to tackle the big issues people do care about, which includes the global economic recession. We have created this problem for ourselves and we have got to resolve it.”

Times Recommends

• Foxy Knoxy snared by her lust and her lies
• Britain is the land of the shrinking family
• Zac Goldsmith: Not such a green god