Martin Salter has come out in support of legislation currently going through Parliament but looks to be heading for a clash with local Labour Party colleagues over his backing for the Reading Borough Council Bill. Speaking in support of the Bill he said: "Illegal peddling is a dangerous menace which can put people at risk of being ripped off with faulty merchandise with no right of redress or compensation for being cheated by false promises."

However, a Labour insider told us that they are worried about the irreparable damage passing this bill could do to prospective parliamentary candidate Anneliese Dodds at the next election. One activist told us: "If we can't peddle door to door our broken promises and faulty policies without falling foul of the law, we're screwed."