by political editor Paul Francis

Maidstone MP Ann Widdecombe has announced she is to enter the contest to become the next Speaker of the House of Commons.

The former minister, who is to stand down at the next general election, says she would be an interim Speaker until the next Parliament.

Ms Widdecombe said she had decided to put her name forward after canvassing levels of support among her colleagues.

She said she was keen to take a role in helping clean up Parliament in the wake of the allowances scandal that has rocked Westminster.

"There is no doubt that what we have to do is restore the reputation of Parliament. I do connect with the public, they already know who I am."

Audio: Ann Widdecombe explains what she would bring to the role of House of Commons Speaker

In an article for the Kent Messenger Group last week Ms Widdecombe said that the police should be called in to investigate those MPs who had seriously breached the rules on expenses.

She said that the idea of standing was not hers. "It never crossed my mind until Michael Martin resigned and I was approached by a couple of MPs."

"And that's why it's taken me a while to make up my mind that I would put my hat in the ring, because I wasn't entirely convinced that an interim was necessarily the right thing to do. But as I've talked to people, and people have responded positively, I've decided to do it."

She insisted that she could set party politics aside if she did get the job. "Across the House of Commons, I have often stood up for backbenchers."

Ms Widdecombe will be joining an increasingly crowded field for the job. Among other candidates is the former foreign secretary Margaret Beckett.