UK Labour Party Humanist group to be launched

A new Labour Humanist Group will be launched later this month. It aims to spread awareness of Humanism and Humanists within the Labour Party and to promote Humanist and Labour values, and facilitate a community for Labour Humanists.

The group is working on meeting the requirements to become an official affiliate of the UK Labour Party and a web site has been launched as a source of information on the group’s activities.

The inaugural meeting of the new group will take place in January. All are welcome to attend: Why Labour Needs Humanism; January 31 2007 7pm; Committee Room 2, House of Lords (enter at St Stephen’s entrance – arrive early to avoid queues!); speakers will include Polly Toynbee.

The group’s web site is at http://www.labourhumanists.org.uk

The Labour Humanist Group has adopted the following form of words for its aims and values:

“The Labour Humanist Group exists to spread awareness of humanism and humanists within the Labour Party and to promote humanist and Labour values. We are committed to:

• Fostering a commitment to equality and universal human rights, including the freedom of religion and belief for all people;
• Promoting a rational approach to bioethical, medical and scientific issues as the best guarantee of human progress;
• Defending and advancing secular government and an open society as the best model of a society where all can be included;
• Advocating an inclusive and accommodating education system which can meet the needs of children and parents of different religions and beliefs in a framework common to all, and opposing faith schools and academies;
• Defending the secular nature of our public services.”