Sandy Martin (politician)

Alexander Gordon Martin (born 2 May 1957) is a British politician who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ipswich from 9 June 2017 to 6 November 2019. A member of the Labour Party, he was elected in the 2017 general election, beating Conservative incumbent Ben Gummer. On 25 October 2018, he became Shadow Minister for Waste and Recycling. He was defeated at the 2019 general election.

This article is about the British politician. For the American actress, see Sandy Martin.

Sandy Martin
Martin in 2017
Shadow Minister for Waste and Recycling
In office
25 October 2018 – 12 December 2019
LeaderJeremy Corbyn
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byPosition abolished
Member of Parliament
for Ipswich
In office
9 June 2017 – 6 November 2019
Preceded byBen Gummer
Succeeded byTom Hunt
Personal details
Born
Alexander Gordon Martin[1]

(1957-05-02) 2 May 1957[2]
NationalityBritish
Political partyLabour
Websitesandyofipswich.co.uk

Early life

Martin was born on 2 May 1957;[3] his father was the late Scottish actor Trevor Martin.[4][5] Martin sang as a chorister in Winchester Cathedral from the age of 8 to 13. After his parents divorced, Martin moved with his mother and siblings to Halesworth in Suffolk in 1971. He worked at the National Peace Council in London 1983–1987 and then at the National Trust at Dunwich Heath from 1989 to 1992. Martin moved to Ipswich to live with his partner in 1993 and worked at Ipswich Community Resource Centre from 1994 to 1996. In 1995, he took on the role of Coordinator of Ipswich Friends of the Earth, which he relinquished in 1997 after his election to Suffolk County Council.

Early political career

After serving on Halesworth Town Council, standing for election to Waveney District Council and Ipswich Borough Council, Martin was elected as a councillor for St Johns Division Ipswich on Suffolk County Council in 1997. As Chair of Suffolk's Joint Municipal Waste Management Strategy, Martin introduced a three-bin collection system across most of Suffolk, raising the recycling rate in the county from approximately 14.5% to approximately 45% between 2001 and 2004.

Martin led the Labour group on the County from 2009 to 2017. He also sat on Ipswich Borough Council from 2002 to 2014, introducing a more efficient bin-collection system, lobbying successfully for cycle lanes in the town centre, and leading the installation of solar panels on sports centre roofs.[3] He stood down as a Borough councillor in 2014 in order to focus on the leadership of the County Council Labour group, and stood down as a County Councillor in 2017 after being elected to Parliament.

At the 2014 European Parliament election, Martin stood as a Labour candidate for the East of England. He was third on the party's list, with only their first-placed candidate, incumbent Richard Howitt, being elected.

Parliamentary career

Martin was elected as MP for Ipswich at the 2017 general election, defeating incumbent Conservative MP Ben Gummer, who had helped write the party's manifesto.[6] As an MP, Martin was a member of the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Select Committee[3] and the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee. On 25 October 2018, he became Shadow Minister for Waste and Recycling.[7]

He is a member of LGBT Labour,[8][9][10] Labour Friends of Israel[11] and of Labour Friends of Palestine & The Middle East. He is a supporter of proportional representation, and is Chair of the Labour Campaign for Electoral Reform. Martin describes himself politically as a democratic socialist and an environmentalist.[12]

Martin lost his seat in the 2019 general election to Tom Hunt of the Conservative Party. In his concession speech, Martin hit out at the Conservatives, stating that "the only way that we can win elections in this country now is by lying".[13]

Personal life

Martin is gay, and has lived with his civil partner for over 25 years.[14]

References
  1. "No. 61961". The London Gazette. 19 June 2017. p. 11785.
  2. Geater, Paul. "Election 2017: Labour's Sandy Martin celebrates birthday with general election battle". Ipswich Star. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
  3. "Martin, Alexander Gordon". Who's Who. ukwhoswho.com. 2018. A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc. Retrieved 14 February 2018. (subscription or UK public library membership required)
  4. Hadoke, Toby (12 October 2017). "Obituary - Trevor Martin, Scottish actor who played Doctor Who on stage". The Herald. Glasgow.
  5. "Trevor Martin RIP". The Gallifreyan Newsroom. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
  6. "Election 2017: Ipswich". BBC News. 9 June 2017. Archived from the original on 14 June 2017. Retrieved 14 June 2017.
  7. "Labour appoints Shadow Minister for Waste and Recycling". The Labour Party.
  8. "Conservatives set to fall short of an overall majority, exit poll suggests". East Anglian Daily Times. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
  9. @LGBTLabour (2 May 2017). "Well done to #LGBTLabour member Sandy..." (Tweet). Retrieved 10 June 2017 – via Twitter.
  10. Reynolds, Andrew. "UK set to break record for highest number of LGBTQ MPs after General Election". Pink News. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
  11. "LFI Supporters in Parliament". Labour Friends of Israel. Retrieved 8 September 2019.
  12. "Sandy Martin". Twitter. Retrieved 9 November 2017.
  13. "Election results 2019: Ex-Labour Ipswich MP Sandy Martin takes aim at 'lies'". BBC News. 13 December 2019. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
  14. "Sandy Martin: My life as a gay MP". BBC News. 21 June 2019.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Ben Gummer		 Member of Parliament for Ipswich
2017–2019		 Succeeded by
Tom Hunt
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