Stevens unsuccessfully contested Dulwich in 1964 and 1966.[1] He became a Member of Parliament for Fulham in 1979 when he gained the seat from Labour. He supported reform for maintenance payments in divorce proceedings, and some of his proposals were adopted by the government in 1984.[1]
Over the Christmas holiday in 1985, Stevens fell ill with a leg infection while on holiday in Africa.[2] His condition worsened during his travel home, and he was admitted to hospital in Poissy, France, a suburb of Paris. He lapsed into a coma, caused by sepsis and an unspecified heart condition, and he died there on 10 January 1986, aged 56.[1][3] Labour's Nick Raynsford gained his seat in the following by-election, although it was regained by the Conservatives in 1987.
He was openly gay and was a member of the Campaign for Homosexual Equality.[4]
References
^ abcde"Mr Martin Stevens, MP". The Times. 11 January 1986. p. 10.
^Evans, Richard (11 January 1986). "By-election test for Tories". The Times. p. 1.