[2] He resigned from the position on 21 June 2009,[3] as a result of diminishing parliamentary and public confidence owing to his role in the expenses scandal.

[9] He attended St Patrick's Boys' School, leaving a few days before his fifteenth birthday to become an apprentice sheet metal worker at a factory called Heatovent.

[12] At the age of 26, in 1973, Martin was elected as a Labour councillor of the Glasgow Corporation, representing the Fairfield ward in the Govan area.

He was a supporter of Roy Hattersley and Denis Healey, who were ideologically on the right-wing of the party and with whom he served as a Parliamentary Private Secretary from 1980 to 1983.

[11] Unusually, despite a long Commons career of 30 years, Martin never sat on the government benches, as his party was out of office during his time as a backbencher, and then returned to power as he was elevated to the Deputy Speakership.

[19] Martin was re-elected as an MP in the 2001 general election, with the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats not challenging him but the Scottish National Party (SNP) achieving a small swing towards its candidate.

[24] Shortly after the 2005 election, when the Liberal Democrat MP Patsy Calton entered the Commons for the last time to affirm her allegiance from a wheelchair and sign the register, Martin broke with tradition and left the Speaker's Chair to shake her hand and kiss her on the cheek, saying "Welcome home Patsy.

Cameron re-worded the question to ask about Blair's future as prime minister rather than leader of the Labour Party, which Martin allowed.

[29] In 2007, Martin used public money to employ lawyers in challenging negative press stories; media law firm Carter-Ruck was engaged for three months at a cost of more than £20,000.

[30] Martin was also criticised at the same time for trying to block the publication of details of MPs' £5 million-a-year travel expenses under the Freedom of Information Act.

[31] On 29 March 2008, The Daily Telegraph revealed that refurbishment of Michael Martin's official residence, Speaker's House, had amounted to £1.7 million over seven years.

[33] In November 2008, Conservative immigration spokesman Damian Green was arrested,[34] in connection with a police investigation into alleged leaks from the Home Office.

"[34] When Parliament reconvened a few days later, Martin read a statement to MPs, stating that "I have been told that the police did not explain, as they are required to do, that (House serjeant at arms Jill Pay) was not obliged to consent or that a warrant could have been insisted on."

"[37] The report also criticized "failings" by multiple parties, including other Commons officials, civil servants, and the police, determining that they had made a "quite unnecessary" and "poorly executed" arrest of Green.

In 2008 Conservative MP Mark Lancaster flew business class to Bangkok with the British Council for a two-day conference, at a cost of £5,018.

MPs must normally declare any hospitality they receive from outside organisations, and the British Council does not appear on a list of bodies whose gifts are exempt from the requirement.

[39] On 17 May, Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg said that Michael Martin should stand down, saying he had become an obstacle to much-needed reform of Parliament.

[43][44]He was made the Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead to be able to stand down as an MP on the same date,[5][note 1] forcing a by-election in his constituency of Glasgow North East.

Sixteen MPs signed a Commons motion requesting that the peer responsible, Lord Jay, withdraw his comment.

[48] In accordance with tradition, as soon as Martin's successor as Speaker was installed, the first motion passed by the House of Commons was a resolution directing that a humble address be presented to The Queen, asking her "to confer some signal mark of Her Royal favour" (i.e., a peerage) upon Martin "for his eminent services during the important period in which he presided with such distinguished ability and dignity in the Chair of this House".

[53][54] Tributes were paid by current and former politicians, including then Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, Martin's successor John Bercow, and former Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

[59] Martin was a keen player of the bagpipes, having regularly played for guests during his annually hosted Burns night supper.

[60] In the run-up to a St Andrew's Day reception on the parliamentary estate, Martin is reported to have once made a special intervention on behalf of the SNP group in the run-up to a Saint Andrew's Day reception, overruling the decision of the Serjeant at Arms to allow bagpipes to be played on the parliamentary estate.