Martin John Salter was born on 19 April 1954 and is a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for Reading West from 1997 to 2010.
13 Facts About Martin Salter
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Martin Salter cites his politics teacher from the age of 14 for developing his political interest, when he took him to the Politics Society in Kingston to hear Tony Benn speak, saying that his teacher 'spotted something in me, a real interest'.
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Martin Salter moved to Reading in 1980, and in 1982 he switched his employment focus by being hired by Reading Borough Council to organise community-based playschemes for children, followed by a move in 1984 to become the co-ordinator of Reading Centre for the Unemployed.
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The council, then under Conservative control, had cut the holiday playscheme budget, and Martin Salter campaigned to undo the changes, the success of which he cites as the reason for his decision to stand for the council.
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Martin Salter won election in Park ward in May 1984.
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Two years later, Labour gained control of the council and Martin Salter was appointed chair of the leisure committee, and a year later became Deputy Leader of the Council, in which role he says he helped 'plan the successful development of the town centre and steered Labour to unprecedented local electoral success'.
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Martin Salter first stood as a candidate for Parliament at the 1987 general election in Reading East.
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Martin Salter was selected as his party's candidate in Reading West for the 1997 general election, and he stood down from the council in 1996 to concentrate on the campaign.
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On 30 November 2005, Martin Salter resigned as Parliamentary Private Secretary to Schools Minister Jacqui Smith over school reform proposals and co-authored the Alternative Education White Paper with a group of centre-left MPs including John Denham, Angela Eagle, Joan Ruddock and Alan Whitehead.
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On 10 February 2009, Martin Salter announced that he would be standing down from the Commons at the next general election.
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In 2011 Martin Salter took a part-time position with the Angling Trust as its National Campaigns Coordinator, and currently serves as the Trust's Chief Policy Advisor.
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Martin Salter has promoted legislation proposing to criminalise possession of so-called "extreme pornography".
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Martin Salter's campaign came about after the conviction at Lewes Crown Court of Graham Coutts, for the murder of Brighton schoolteacher Jane Longhurst.