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Mike Martin (British politician)
British politician From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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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]
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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]
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Career
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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.
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Selected works
- Martin, Mike (2014). An intimate war: an oral history of the Helmand conflict, 1978-2012. London: C Hurst & Company. ISBN 978-1849043366.
- Martin, Mike; Baker, Chloe; Hatch-Barnwell, Charlie (2016). Crossing the Congo: over land and water in a hard place. London: Hurst & Company. ISBN 978-1849046855.
- Martin, Mike (2018). Why we fight. London: Hurst & Company. ISBN 978-1849048897.
- Martin, Mike (2023). How to fight a war. London: Hurst & Company. ISBN 978-1787389304.
References
External links
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