Martin Salter

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Martin Salter MP
Martin Salter
Member of Parliament
for Reading West
Incumbent
Assumed office 
1 May 1997
Preceded by Tony Durant
Born 19 April 1954 (1954-04-19) (age 54)
Hampton, London
Nationality British
Political party Labour
Alma mater University of Sussex

Martin John Salter (born 19 April 1954 in Hampton, in west London) is a United Kingdom politician. He is Labour Member of Parliament for the Reading West parliamentary constituency.

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[edit] Early life

Salter was educated at Hampton Grammar School and the University of Sussex[1], from which he failed to graduate.

Salter worked in various jobs, including working as a lorry driver, scaffolder, builder's labourer, refuse collector and airport cargo handler. Latterly he worked as a coordinator for a centre for the unemployed and for a housing cooperative.

[edit] Politics

From 1984 to 1997, Salter was a Labour councillor on Reading Borough Council representing Park Ward, during which time he chaired the Leisure Committee and served as Deputy Leader. In the 1987 general election he stood for the Reading East parliamentary constituency, and though defeated, moved Labour from third place to second. The general election of 1997 saw him elected as Member of Parliament for Reading West, a position he retained during the following two general elections in 2001 and 2005 respectively.

In parliament, Salter served on the Select Committee on Northern Ireland through the period of the Good Friday Agreement.

Salter has promoted legislation proposing to criminalise possession of so-called "extreme pornography" [2]. His campaign came about after the conviction at Lewes Crown Court of Graham Coutts, a self confessed addict of violent internet pornography, for the murder of Brighton schoolteacher Jane Longhurst. A petition, objecting to "the presence of extreme internet sites promoting violence against women in the name of sexual gratification", gained 50,000 signatures. This prohibition is being incorporated into the Immigration and Criminal Justice Bill 2007. The campaign group Backlash has accused Mr Salter of fueling a moral panic, and Mr Rabinder Singh QC says these proposals would violate human rights conventions.[3]

He has been active in the struggle against the far-right, and strongly opposes fox hunting. However his vocal support for the proposed national identity card, and for the defeated government proposal to extend the period police can hold terror suspects, has led to Salter being branded right wing himself by local Conservative Party opponents, including neighbouring MP Rob Wilson.

At a local level Salter is an active constituency MP, with frequent appearances in the local media and at local meetings. Recently, Salter has cultivated close links with Oxford University Labour Club, speaking at several of their meetings following their help campaigning in Reading West and Reading East in the 2005 general election.

On 30 November 2005, Salter resigned as Parliamentary Private Secretary to Schools Minister Jacqui Smith over school reform proposals.

In June 2007, he was appointed as Vice Chair (Environment) of the Labour Party.[4]

Martin Salter is a controversial figure in the Labour Party because of his active and high profile support of shooting birds for sport. This has drawn widespread criticism from people who support the Labour Party but are opposed to bloodsports.

[edit] Private life

He is married to Natalie, and has no children. He has lived in Reading from 1980. His interests include freshwater angling and supporting Reading F.C., where he is a season ticket holder and Honorary Vice-President of Supporters' Trust At Reading (STAR).

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://www.sussex.ac.uk/press_office/media/media261.shtml (retrieved 27 January 2007)
  2. ^ BBC NEWS | UK | 'Extreme' porn proposals spark row
  3. ^ http://www.backlash-uk.org.uk/execsum609.pdf
  4. ^ Labour: Vote Labour on May 1

[edit] External links

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Tony Durant		 Member of Parliament for Reading West
1997 – present		 Incumbent