After an early career as a private secretary he was unexpectedly elected as a Conservative Member of Parliament for Blaydon, a traditionally extremely secure Labour constituency.
[4] In October 1931, when the general election was already underway, he was adopted as Conservative Party candidate for the constituency of Blaydon in County Durham;[5] the seat had a Labour majority of 13,374[3] and was thought absolutely safe.
Angered by opposition Members jeering at Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald he was overheard by Labour MP Valentine MacEntee shouting out "Lie down, dog!
[2] He was one of 31 members of parliament to sign a letter endorsing an All-India Federation with provincial autonomy as a way forward of constitutional reform in India.
Martin joined the other Conservative candidates for Camberwell divisions in inviting Winston Churchill to speak for them;[18] but observers expected that the leading Labour personality Charles Ammon would succeed in regaining the seat he had lost four years previously.
[2] He was a liaison officer between the Foreign Office and the BBC[21] and then volunteered for military service during the Second World War, becoming a Squadron Leader in the Middle East Intelligence Centre (part of the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve) from 1940 to 1943, then leaving the services to become adviser on public relations to the United Kingdom High Commissioner in Australia where he remained until the end of the war.
[2] Martin developed his career by becoming a member of the London Stock Exchange in 1949, but retained his interest in politics and contributed many letters to newspapers.
[2] After his retirement from the Stock Exchange in 1974,[1] Martin moved back to the borders area of Northumberland where he lived at Naworth Keep and Dacre Castle.
[2] In 1990 the Speaker of the House of Commons Bernard Weatherill held a dinner in honour of the 23 remaining pre-war MPs at which Martin was one of the star guests; he was interviewed by the BBC afterwards.