Mike Martin (British politician)

Last updated
Mike Martin
MP
Official portrait of Mike Martin MP crop 2.jpg
Official portrait, 2024
Member of Parliament
for Tunbridge Wells
Incumbent
Assumed office
4 July 2024
Website mike-martin.co.uk
Military service
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Branch/service
Years of service2004-2014
Rank Captain
Unit Royal Yeomanry
Intelligence Corps
Battles/wars War in Afghanistan
Academic background
Thesis War on its Head: An Oral History of the Helmandi Conflict 1978–2012  (2013)

Michael Peter Martin [1] is a British politician, author and former Army Reserve officer, who has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Tunbridge Wells since 2024. A member of the Liberal Democrats, he gained the seat vacated by Greg Clark, the Conservative MP who stood down at the 2024 election. Martin identifies as pro-European, internationalist, "explicitly pro-green", and as being in favour of a strong stance on defence. [2]

Contents

Early life and education

Martin, who was privately educated, has an undergraduate degree in biological sciences from the University of Oxford [3] and a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in war studies from King's College London, which he completed in 2013 with a thesis titled "War on its Head: An Oral History of the Helmandi Conflict 1978-2012". [4]

As of 2024, he is a senior visiting research fellow at King's College London. [3]

Career

Military service

On 1 August 2004, Martin was commissioned into the General List of the Territorial Army as a second lieutenant (on probation). [5] On 26 November 2006, he transferred to the Royal Yeomanry. [6] His commission was confirmed on 26 November 2006 with seniority in the rank of second lieutenant from 26 November 2005. [7] He was promoted to lieutenant on 26 November 2007. [8] He was promoted to captain on 22 April 2010 with seniority from 15 June 2009. [9] He transferred to the Intelligence Corps on 19 August 2013. [10]

Martin served multiple tours in Helmand Province during the War in Afghanistan. [11] The Ministry of Defence (MOD) commissioned a book from him about the war, but he resigned from the British Army in 2014 after a dispute over the book so he could publish the critical account without interference from the MOD. [12]

Political career

In February 2023, Martin was selected to be the Liberal Democrat candidate for Tunbridge Wells. [13] In the 2024 general election, he was elected as Member of Parliament (MP) for Tunbridge Wells with 43.6 per cent of the vote and a majority of 8,687 over the second-placed Conservative candidate. [14] He was the first non-Conservative to win the constituency since it was first contested in February 1974.

Selected works

References

    1. ↑ "No. 64465". The London Gazette . 22 July 2024. p. 14085.
    2. ↑ Boyd, Milo (2024-07-03). "Conservatives on brink of big loss in royal town once the heart of Tory Britain". The Mirror. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
    3. 1 2 "Dr Mike Martin". King's College London. 26 February 2024. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
    4. ↑ Martin, Michael Peter (2013). War on its Head: An Oral History of the Helmandi Conflict 1978-2012 (PhD thesis). King's College London. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
    5. ↑ "No. 57699". The London Gazette (Supplement). 12 July 2005. p. 9016.
    6. ↑ "No. 58387". The London Gazette (Supplement). 10 July 2007. p. 9905.
    7. ↑ "No. 59216". The London Gazette (Supplement). 20 October 2009. p. 17989.
    8. ↑ "No. 59223". The London Gazette (Supplement). 27 October 2009. p. 18435.
    9. ↑ "No. 59465". The London Gazette (Supplement). 22 June 2010. p. 11697.
    10. ↑ "No. 60840". The London Gazette (Supplement). 15 April 2014. p. 7614.
    11. ↑ "Mike Martin". Mike Martin. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
    12. ↑ MacAskill, Ewen (9 April 2014). "Territorial Army captain resigns over Afghanistan book". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
    13. ↑ "Lib Dem Mike Martin Bids to Become Local MP". Southborough News. 20 February 2023. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
    14. ↑ "Tunbridge Wells – General election results 2024". BBC News. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
    Parliament of the United Kingdom
    Preceded by Member of Parliament
    for Tunbridge Wells
    2024–present    		Incumbent
    This page is based on this Wikipedia article
    Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
    Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.