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Mike Martin
MP
Mike Martin MP
	Official portrait, 2024
Member of Parliament; for Tunbridge Wells
	Incumbent
	Assumed office ; 4 July 2024
Preceded by	Greg Clark
Majority	8,687 (16.0%)
Personal details
Born	Michael Peter Martin
Political party	Liberal Democrats
Alma mater	University of Oxford (BA); King's College London (PhD);
Website	mike-martin.co.uk
Military service
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Branch/service	British Army
Years of service	2004-2014
Rank	Captain
Unit	Royal Yeomanry; Intelligence Corps
Battles/wars	War in Afghanistan
Academic background
Thesis	War on its Head: An Oral History of the Helmandi Conflict 1978–2012 (2013)

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]

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]

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.

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.