Michael Martin last night defied his detractors by making clear he was staying put as Commons Speaker as Gordon Brown offered his unequivocal support to the embattled Glasgow MP.

Michael Martin last night defied his detractors by making clear he was staying put as Commons Speaker as Gordon Brown offered his unequivocal support to the embattled Glasgow MP.

In his first appearance in the chair since pressure was piled on him in a row over his parliamentary expenses, the 62-year-old politician received a loud "hear hear" from his colleagues in the Commons chamber and during question time was approached by several Labour back benchers who squeezed his arm and gave a thumbs-up in expressions of support. It was noticeable no Conservative MP did the same.

While question time related to home affairs, two MPs were able to work in references to Mr Martin's run-in with certain sections of the London-based press. Jim Sheridan, Labour MP for Paisley and Renfrewshire North, spoke about visas for foreign journalists, which should only be given, he asserted, if they dealt with "factual evidence and factual evidence only".

Jim Spellar, the former Labour minister, told the Speaker it was "a pleasure to see you in your place, may you long stay there". He added to vociferous approval from colleagues: "In this country, the Speaker is chosen not by an attempted coup from the press gallery but by the members of this House."

However, it was later during a Point of Order that Mr Martin challenged his opponents.

One of the criticisms has been that, following the expenses scandal involving the disgraced Tory MP Derek Conway, the Speaker will chair a committee of Establishment figures and will not report until the autumn.

David Winnick, Labour MP for Walsall North, told Mr Martin: "In view of the public concern over this whole issue - and the rather misleading impression that we are all on the make at public expense - would it be possible for the review to have greater urgency and not wait for the autumn?

"This is a matter causing damage to the reputation of the House and the sooner we can resolve it, the better."

However, the Speaker gave an impassioned response, telling MPs: "This House has charged me with a responsibility and I will carry out that duty until this House decides otherwise - and that is a good thing for the reputation of this House."

Support for the under-fire Speaker was earlier led by the Prime Minister, who insisted: "Most people know that Michael Martin, the Speaker, has been, and is, a very good Speaker. He obviously brings a huge amount of experience from things that he's done earlier in his life to the job and you'll find that there's an enormous respect for what he's achieved as the Speaker."

Mr Brown added that questions over the claiming of allowances were "a matter for the House of Commons".

Clare Short, the former Labour cabinet minister and now an independent MP, meantime called for Mr Martin to be removed from the expenses review. "He can't chair that because he's an MP and he's doing things that others are doing and that's hopeless," she said.

Last week, pressure mounted on Mr Martin over claims he used air miles - received due to official business - so that his family could spend Hogmanay in London and that his wife, Mary, had spent more than £4000 on taxis and that he had spent £75,000 in allowances on his home in Glasgow even though it no longer has a mortgage on it.

Events turned badly for the Speaker at the weekend when his spokesman, Mike Granatt, resigned for "ethical reasons" after he learned that information he had been given - that Mrs Martin had been accompanied by a Commons official on trips to buy food for official banquets - was wrong and that consequently he had unwittingly misled journalists; in fact, the person who accompanied Mrs Martin was her housekeeper.

While critics insist the Glasgow MP is not up to the job and blanch at the prospect of him serving as Speaker in a third parliament, his supporters claim he is the victim of a witchhunt led by Oxbridge snobs, who cannot stand the idea of an ex-sheet metal worker doing such a prestigious job.

Last night, the Speaker received better news as John Lyon, Westminster's Commissioner for Standards, said he would not be investigating the complaint against Mr Martin's use of air miles as he had "not identified the provisions in the code of conduct of MPs ... which preclude a member using air miles in the way alleged".

Mr Lyon has also received a complaint over Mrs Martin's taxi bills and is due shortly to determine whether or not to launch a full investigation into this matter.