List of atheists in politics and law: Difference between revisions - Wikipedia

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{{further|All-Party Parliamentary Humanist Group|Irreligion in the United Kingdom#Irreligious British politicians}}

Being non-religious has traditionally not been a barrier to success in British politics, as evidenced by at least ~~four~~seven Prime Ministers,<ref name="7PMs">{{cite web|url=https://humanists.uk/2024/07/05/non-religious-prime-ministers-a-history/|work=[[Humanists UK]]|date=5 July 2024|accessdate=10 July 2024}}</ref> one Deputy Prime Minister, one [[First Minister of Wales]], and several [[Leader of the Opposition (United Kingdom)|leaders of the Opposition]] being atheists since the 20th century. Non-religious views are common among British MPs and Lords, many of whom are members of the [[All-Party Parliamentary Humanist Group]], as well as members of Scottish, Welsh, Northern Irish, and London legislatures.

====Prime Ministers ====

* [[Clement Attlee]] (1883–1967): British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1945 to 1951 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1935 to 1955.<ref>{{cite book |title=Clement Attlee |first=Jerry Hardman |last=Brookshire |publisher=Manchester University Press |location=New York |year=1995 |isbn=0-7190-3244-X |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Tn27AAAAIAAJ |page=15}}</ref> ▼

* [[David Lloyd George]] (1863–1945): British Liberal politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1915 to 1922. Described sometimes as an agnostic or deist. Oversaw [[disestablishment in Wales]].<ref name="7PMs"/>

* [[Ramsay MacDonald]] : British Labour politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1929 to 1935. Previously chair or President of [[Humanists UK]] (1902 and 1904).<ref name="7PMs"/>

* [[Neville Chamberlain]]: Conservative British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1937 to 1940. Raised by an atheist father and a nontheist Unitarian mother, escribed as a "reverent agnostic" and someone who never practiced or showed interest in religion at any time in his life.<ref name="7PMs"/>

* [[Winston Churchill]]: Conservative British Prime Minister from 1940 to 1945 and from 1951 to 1955. An atheist who said "I do not accept the Christian or any other form of religious belief" but not a secularist, saying he supported the established church "from the outside". He likened religion in general to a "dangerous narcotic" and said he thought death meant simply "black velvet - eternal sleep"./<ref name="7PMs"/>

▲* [[Clement Attlee]] (1883–1967): British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1945 to 1951 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1935 to 1955.<ref>{{cite book |title=Clement Attlee |first=Jerry Hardman |last=Brookshire |publisher=Manchester University Press |location=New York |year=1995 |isbn=0-7190-3244-X |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Tn27AAAAIAAJ |page=15}}</ref><ref name="7PMs"/>

* [[James Callaghan]]: Labour Prime Minister from 1976 to 1979, Callaghan was an atheist since his teenage years according to multiple biographers and friends who knew him at the time.<ref name="7PMs"/>

* [[Keir Starmer]] (1962–): [[Leader of the Labour Party (UK)]] and [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom]] since 2024.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.inews.co.uk/news/politics/keir-starmer-i-may-not-believe-in-god-but-i-do-believe-in-faith-951607|title=Keir Starmer: I may not believe in God, but I do believe in faith|date=11 April 2021| access-date=7 January 2022|work=The i}}</ref><ref name="7PMs">▼

====First Ministers====

* [[Donald Dewar]] (1937–2000): British ~~Politician~~politician and Scottish first minister, from May 1999 until his sudden death in October 2000<ref>{{Cite news|last=Luckhurst|first=Tim|date=2007-06-01|title=Back to the dark ages|language=en-GB|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2007/jun/01/backtothedarkages|access-date=2020-10-12|issn=0261-3077}}</ref>▼

* [[Rhodri Morgan]] (1939–2017), former [[First Minister of Wales]] and leader of [[Welsh Labour]] (2000-2009).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://humanism.org.uk/2017/05/31/public-humanist-funeral-for-rhodri-morgan-at-national-assembly-for-wales/|title=Public humanist funeral for Rhodri Morgan at National Assembly for Wales|date=31 May 2017|access-date=31 May 2017|work=[[Humanists UK]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-40099436|work=[[BBC Wales News]]|title=Rhodri Morgan funeral to be held at the Senedd, Cardiff|date=31 May 2017|access-date=31 May 2017}}</ref>▼

* [[Mark Drakeford]]: Labour First Minister of Wales from 2018 to 2024.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-46618507|title=Mark Drakeford: From Latin degree to Wales' leader|date=7 January 2019|accessdate=10 July 2024|work=[[BBC News]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://humanists.uk/2024/06/15/mark-drakeford-highlights-wales-humanist-values-at-humanists-uk-convention-2024-in-cardiff/|title=Mark Drakeford highlights Wales’ humanist values at Humanists UK Convention 2024 in Cardiff|date=15 June 2024|accessdate=10 July 2024|work=[[Humanists UK]]}}</ref>

====Others====

* [[William Crawford Anderson]] (1877–1919): British socialist politician, a founder member of the [[Union of Democratic Control]].<ref>"His mother was an intelligent and widely read woman of strong, radical, Presbyterian views who encouraged William to read extensively and passed on a love of literature which stayed with him long after he was converted to free-thinking atheism." Joseph Melling, [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/47322 'Anderson, William Crawford (1877–1919)], ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, Sept 2004; online edn, Jan 2008 (accessed May 2, 2008).</ref>

* [[James Arbuthnot]] (1952–): Conservative MP 1987-2015 and peer since 2015.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-30848534|title=Tory MP James Arbuthnot reveals pressure to hide atheism|date=16 January 2015|access-date=19 June 2017|work=BBC News}}</ref>

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* [[Robin Cook]] (1946–2005): Secretary of State for Foreign & Commonwealth Affairs of the UK (1997–2001), whose funeral service was held in the [[High Kirk]] of [[Scotland]], where he was described as a "[[Presbyterian]] atheist. "<ref>[http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-1733157,00.html Labour Party at prayer salutes Cook the atheist], by Magnus Linklater, ''The Times'', August 13, 2005.</ref>

* [[Meghnad Desai, Baron Desai]] (1940–): British economist, writer and [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] politician.<ref>"Lord Desai: Like my noble friend Lord Dormand I am an atheist and therefore should not speak too much about religion, but I am glad that the C[hurch] of E[ngland], having lost money in real estate, is now interested in sex and making money. That is always welcome." [https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld199798/ldhansrd/vo980604/text/80604-06.htm Lords Hansard, 4 Jun 1998: Column 481] (accessed April 24, 2008).</ref>

▲* [[Donald Dewar]] (1937–2000): British Politician and Scottish first minister, from May 1999 until his sudden death in October 2000<ref>{{Cite news|last=Luckhurst|first=Tim|date=2007-06-01|title=Back to the dark ages|language=en-GB|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2007/jun/01/backtothedarkages|access-date=2020-10-12|issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

* [[Frank Dobson]] (1940–2019): British [[the Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] politician and [[member of Parliament]] for [[Holborn and St. Pancras (UK Parliament constituency)|Holborn and St. Pancras]].<ref>In a House of Commons debate on historic churches, [[Patrick Cormack|Sir Patrick Cormack]] said: "The chairman of the historic churches and chapels group, the right hon. Member for Holborn and St. Pancras (Frank Dobson) [...] is a self-proclaimed atheist but shares the affection [for historic churches] that I believe that the Minister has [...]" [https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200607/cmhansrd/cm061214/debtext/61214-0023.htm House of Commons Hansard, 14 Dec 2006: Column 1132] (accessed April 24, 2008).</ref>

* [[Jack Dormand]] (1919–2003): British educationist and [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] politician.<ref>"As the most insistent of atheists in the House of Lords, after he arrived there in 1987, Dormand demanded equal rights for the non-religious fifth of the population. As a former teacher and education officer, he wanted religions and humanism described neutrally in schools, not propagated. [...] But "after some years of very considerable thought", he became an atheist, though "I certainly attempt, although I fail regularly, to live by the Christian ethic." He became more overtly atheist in the Lords than he had been in the Commons, where he had to worry about his religious constituents. [...] He started teaching at 21, telling his headmaster that, as an atheist, he was not really qualified to take religious education." Andrew Roth, 'Obituary: Lord Dormand of Easington: Genial chairman during Labour's hard times', ''The Guardian'', December 20, 2003, Pg. 21.</ref>

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* [[David Miliband]] (1965–): British [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] politician, [[Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs|Foreign Secretary]] from 2007 to 2010.<ref>"Miliband, a devout atheist, had forged his reputation as a policy wonk at the Left-leaning Institute for Public Policy Research and was headhunted to become Tony Blair's head of policy at Downing Street." Andrew Pierce, '[https://web.archive.org/web/20090909071743/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/labour/2475236/Profile-of-Foreign-Secretary-David-Miliband.html Profile of Foreign Secretary David Miliband]', ''Daily Telegraph'', July 30, 2008 (accessed August 1, 2008).</ref>

* [[Ed Miliband]] (1969–): British [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] politician, [[Leader of the Opposition (United Kingdom)|Leader of the Opposition]] and [[Leader of the Labour Party (UK)|Leader of the Labour Party]] from 2010 to 2015.<ref>"The Labour leader's atheism puts him in stark contrast to his predecessors Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, for whom religion was a central part of their lives." '[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/ed-miliband/8032163/Ed-Miliband-I-dont-believe-in-God.html]', ''Daily Telegraph'', September 29, 2010 (accessed May 25, 2011).</ref>

▲* [[Rhodri Morgan]] (1939–2017), former [[First Minister of Wales]] and leader of [[Welsh Labour]] (2000-2009).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://humanism.org.uk/2017/05/31/public-humanist-funeral-for-rhodri-morgan-at-national-assembly-for-wales/|title=Public humanist funeral for Rhodri Morgan at National Assembly for Wales|date=31 May 2017|access-date=31 May 2017|work=[[Humanists UK]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-40099436|work=[[BBC Wales News]]|title=Rhodri Morgan funeral to be held at the Senedd, Cardiff|date=31 May 2017|access-date=31 May 2017}}</ref>

* [[Julie Morgan]] (1941–): Welsh Assembly Member for [[Cardiff North (Assembly constituency)|Cardiff North]] and former MP for Cardiff North.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://humanism.org.uk/about/our-people/patrons/julie-morgan-am/|title=Julie Morgan AM|work=Humanists UK|access-date=7 February 2018}}</ref>

* [[John Morley, 1st Viscount Morley of Blackburn]] [[Order of Merit|OM]], [[Privy Council of the United Kingdom|PC]] (1838–1923): British [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal]] [[politician|statesman]], writer and newspaper editor.<ref>"[...] Morley was an odd choice for biographer, since he was a "freethinking" atheist, and he agreed to the Gladstone family's stipulation that he should refrain from treating Gladstone's religion in any depth." Christopher Howse, 'Why Gladstone had God up his sleeve', ''Daily Telegraph'', November 24, 2007, Pg. 29.</ref>

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* [[Clare Short]] (1946–): British politician, former [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] Secretary of State for International Development.<ref>"Father Doonagh might have described this helping hand to a needy stranger as an act of Christian charity. That's probably not how the atheist Short would see it." Vincent Graff, 'Order! Order! Politics and Food Special', ''The Observer'' (England), May 25, 2008, Observer Food Monthly, Pg. 38.</ref>

* [[Dennis Skinner]] (1932–): British politician, who was the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] Member of Parliament for Bolsover from 1970 until he lost his seat in 2019.<ref>" All MPs may reserve a particular seat in Parliament for morning prayers, which they then keep for the rest of the day. Skinner, an atheist, refuses to pray, but still likes to 'bagsy' his favourite pew. Following a complaint from the Tory Chris Grayling, the Serjeant at Arms issued him with a formal reprimand. 'Dennis told him to get stuffed, ' says a colleague. 'It's an excellent spot for heckling, and he's not going to vacate it without a fight. ' " Guy Adams, 'Pandora', ''The Independent'' (London), December 13, 2005, Features, Pg. 14.</ref>

▲* [[Keir Starmer]] (1962–): [[Leader of the Labour Party (UK)]] and [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom]] since 2024.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.inews.co.uk/news/politics/keir-starmer-i-may-not-believe-in-god-but-i-do-believe-in-faith-951607|title=Keir Starmer: I may not believe in God, but I do believe in faith|date=11 April 2021| access-date=7 January 2022|work=The i}}</ref>

* [[Guy Aldred]] (1886–1963): English anarchist communist and a prominent member of the [[Anti-Parliamentary Communist Federation]].<ref>"The defendant, in the witness-box, declared that the meeting was quite orderly, and there were cries of "Shame" when he was arrested. He denied the charges. Aldred said he was an Atheist and a Socialist." 'Hyde Park Speech Prosecution. Evidence For The Defence', ''The Times'', Wednesday, Mar 04, 1925; pg. 5; Issue 43901; col G.</ref>

* [[Peter Tatchell]] (1952–), Australian-born British human rights activist<ref>[http://gayswithoutborders.wordpress.com/2007/10/12/peter-tatchell-islamists-betray-palestine/ Peter Tatchell: Islamists Betray Palestine and Human Rights] "They happily work with me, despite my atheism and gayness. This is the kind, gentle face of Islam that never seems to be newsworthy. "</ref>