He was the Labour Party Member of Parliament (MP) for Broxtowe in Nottinghamshire from 1997[1] until he lost the seat at the 2010 general election to Conservative Anna Soubry, by 390 votes.

Described by Andrew Roth as "quietly effective",[2] he was Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to the Minister of State, Margaret Beckett, in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs until April 2005.

Prior to contesting Broxtowe, he edited and published a magazine to represent the views of ordinary Labour party members – Grass Roots.

[13] He suggested TV Licence exemption for over-75s which was then adopted by the government, along with similar measures like free bus passes for the elderly.

[14] In January 1998, Palmer introduced a bill under the Ten Minute Rule, amending the Firearms act 1968 and raising the age for possession of air weapons, especially to prevent malicious use against pets.

[15] [16][17] In April 2000, he introduced a private member's bill to presume consent for organ donation,[18] a measure still being considered which could increase transplants by 25%.

[23] In December 2005, he introduced another 10-minute rule bill intended to ensure speed camera warning signs displayed the limit they enforced.

[24] In May 2008, he introduced an amendment to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 requiring that "strictly neutral information" be provided in cases of foetal abnormality.

[25] This was based on his parents' experience of the expert advice from pioneering surgeon Archibald McIndoe who successfully reconstructed his cleft palate.

[26] He gave speeches in the Commons on animal welfare issues[27][28][29] and in December 2009 he was one of 8 cross-party supporters of a bill introduced by Nigel Waterson to "make provision for residents of care homes and sheltered accommodation to keep domestic pets in certain circumstances.

"[30] Based on his experience as a computer software developer, he spoke against the terms of the Digital Economy Bill and joined Tom Watson and Austin Mitchell in leading a Labour rebellion against its third reading.

[32] With his secretary, Philipa Coughlan (with sons Nick and Sean) and fellow MP, Liz Blackman, he compiled a book of recipes favoured by MPs.

An opinion piece suggested that part of the reason that Palmer had held his seat was due to his high constituency work rate.