Mr Speaker Martin's last chance

The current Speaker has once last chance not to go down in history as one of the most partisan and discredited figures to occupy the role.

Iain Dale reports that Harriet Harman's plans for a meeting to discuss the Speaker's statement on the arrest of Damian Green have been leaked to the Conservatives. It is clear from the memo that she is trying to tell him what he should say. And it is clear from the list of those invited that she is acting purely out of party interest.

As Iain says:

Invited to the meeting are Jacqui Smith and Jack Straw, as well as Cabinet Secretary Gus O'Donnell, Jill Pay, the Serjeant at Arms and the Parliamentary Clerk, Malcolm Jack and a representative from the Speaker's Office. Strangely the Tories and LibDems have not been invited.

The Speaker should tell Harman that he will decide with whom he discuss his statement and he will decide what he will say.

Sadly, I doubt that he has the courage, the independence or the intellect to do so.