A former government minister, Andrew McIntosh was a committed humanist, a Patron of Humanists UK, and a dedicated and active member of the All Party Parliamentary Humanist Group, serving as the Group’s treasurer for a number of years.
Following a career in market research, and having established his own business, Lord McIntosh became involved in local government, initially as a councillor in Haringey before becoming the opposition leaders on the Greater London Council. In 1983, Andrew was elevated to the peerage as Lord McIntosh of Haringey, and was promoted to the front bench two years later, and served as an opposition spokesperson for Education and Science, the Environment and Home Affairs, and from 1992 was the Deputy Leader of the opposition in the House of Lords. Following Labour’s 1997 election victory, Lord McIntosh became Deputy Chief Whip, and between 1987 and 2005 served as a spokesperson for the Treasury, Trade and Industry, Culture Media and Sport, Scotland and Transport.
Committed to promoting equal treatment and non-discrimination between people with different religious and non-religious beliefs, as Minister at the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, Lord McIntosh was responsible for clarifying that the term ‘belief’ as used in the Communications Act, which defines the subject matter that public service broadcasters are obliged to provide coverage for 2003, included Humanism.
Lord McIntosh also served as a Member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. In this role, he supported a motion condemning the teaching of creationism in schools as a part of science.
In June 2010, Lord McIntosh was re-elected as Treasurer at the Annual General Meeting of the All Party Parliamentary Humanist Group (APPHG), the cross party grouping of over 100 MPs and Peers with an interest in Humanism, and humanist issues, to which Humanists UK provides the secretariat.