Martin John Salter (born 19 April 1954) is a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for Reading West from 1997 to 2010.
Born to Ray and Naomi Salter in Hampton, Middlesex,[1] he received a grammar school education before attending the University of Sussex,[2] though he left before gaining a degree, saying 'academic life was not for him – "I wanted to do politics, not study it"'.
[3][4] Both his parents were active trade unionists, and grandfather George Baker was sent to Wormwood Scrubs prison in 1917 as a First World War conscientious objector.
[5] Incumbent Conservative MP Tony Durant had a majority of well over 10,000 from the 1992 general election, but his decision to stand down left the seat more in play.
A petition, objecting to "the presence of extreme Internet sites promoting violence against women in the name of sexual gratification", gained 50,000 signatures.