New Humanist Editorial Board

Ian Dunt – Chair of the Editorial Board

Ian Dunt is a prominent voice in British political journalism, known for his incisive commentary and bestselling books including Brexit: What the Hell Happens Now?, How To Be A Liberal, and How Westminster Works… and Why It Doesn’t. His experience as a columnist for the i and former Editor of politics.co.uk – alongside his regular appearances as a political commentator on TV, radio, and podcasts – have made him a popular national commentator for many liberals and humanists.

Samira Ahmed

Samira Ahmed is an award-winning journalist, writer, and broadcaster (also a columnist) who presents Front Row on Radio 4, Newswatch on BBC1, and co-presents the vintage TV podcast Through The Square Window. Her BFI Film Classics book on the first Beatles’ film A Hard Day’s Night will be published by Bloomsbury in April 2026.

Professor Jim Al-Khalili

Jim Al-Khalili is a quantum physicist and Vice President of Humanists UK. He is currently Distinguished Emeritus Professor of physics at the University of Surrey as well as a science communicator known for his many popular science books, TV documentaries, and radio programmes, mostly for the BBC, including Radio 4’s The Life Scientific. Jim is also a Humanist UK Vice President.

Stephen Bush

Stephen Bush is an associate editor and columnist at the Financial Times. He writes a daily newsletter, Inside Politics, charting the course of politics and policy in the United Kingdom, and a wide-ranging weekly column. He has also written for the Guardian, the Daily Telegraph, the i Paper, and the New Statesman.

Peter Geoghegan

Peter Geoghegan is an award-winning writer, broadcaster, and journalist. He runs the investigative website Democracy for Sale, which won a British Journalism Award in 2025 for its work on dark money in British politics. He previously served as Editor-in-Chief at openDemocracy, and has written for the New York Times, the Guardian, and the London Review of Books, and many others. He is also the author of Sunday Times bestseller Democracy for Sale: Dark Money and Dirty Politics.

Professor A C Grayling CBE

A C Grayling is a philosopher and Principal of Northeastern University London. He has written and edited over thirty books on philosophy and other subjects, many bestsellers among them. He is a frequent contributor to the Literary Review, the Observer, Independent on Sunday, the Times Literary Supplement, Index on Censorship, and New Statesman. He is also a frequent broadcaster on BBC Radio 4, 3, and the World Service. He is also a Humanist UK Vice President.

Professor Jonathan Wolff

Jonathan Wolff is a philosopher and Emeritus Professor of Values and Public Policy at the Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford. Prior to joining the Blavatnik School in 2016, Wolff’s academic career had been spent at University College London, where he was, latterly, Professor of Philosophy and Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities. He is President of The Royal Institute of Philosophy and a Fellow of the British Academy.

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Shaparak Khorsandi

Shaparak Khorsandi is a comedian, author, speaker, and human rights advocate. She has appeared on numerous TV and radio shows including Mock The Week, 8 Out Of 10 Cats, Have I Got News For You, QI, Just a Minute, and other flagship Radio 4 programmes. She’s taken part in several series of Live At The Apollo and Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow. She is a former columnist for the Independent and now for New Humanist. Shaparak is also a Humanist UK Vice President.

Professor Brian Klaas

Brian Klaas is Professor of Global Politics at University College London, an associate researcher at the University of Oxford, and a contributing writer for The Atlantic. His books include Fluke: Chance, Chaos, and Why Everything We Do Matters and Corruptible: Who Gets Power and How It Changes Us. He writes the popular The Garden of Forking Paths Substack and created the award-winning Power Corrupts podcast, which has been downloaded over three million times. He was named one of the 25 ‘Top Thinkers’  globally by Prospect magazine.

Dr Adam Rutherford

Adam Rutherford is a scientist, writer, and broadcaster. He is a lecturer at University College London – where he teaches the history of eugenics, race science, genetics, and science communication – as well as at universities around the world. He is the author of a number of books relating to genetics and the origin of life, including the Sunday Times bestseller How to Argue with a Racist. He is a regular podcaster for the BBC. His shows include Start the Week, The Curious Cases of Rutherford and Fry (with Hannah Fry), and most recently, The Human Subject (with Julia Shaw). Adam is also a Humanist UK Vice President.

Polly Toynbee

Polly Toynbee is a Guardian columnist and broadcaster and was formerly the BBC’s Social Affairs Editor. She has won a National Press Award, has been the What The Papers Say and British Press Awards columnist of the year. Her recently published memoir is An Uneasy Inheritance – My family and other radicals. She sits on the editorial board of Political Quarterly. Polly is also a Vice President of Humanists UK.

Laurie Taylor

Laurie Taylor is emeritus professor of sociology at the University of York and a Fellow of Birkbeck College. Before entering academic life he worked as a librarian in Liverpool, taught in a London comprehensive school, and was a professional actor with Joan Littlewood’s Theatre Workshop. He is the author of fourteen books on motivation, change, communication, and personal identity. Laurie can be regularly heard presenting Radio 4’s Thinking Allowed, a programme, now in its 26th year, devoted to society and social change. Laurie is also a Vice President of Humanists UK and formerly served as President of the Rationalist Association.

Natasha Walter

Natasha Walter is a writer and campaigner. She is the author of several books, including Living Dolls: the Return of Sexism and the forthcoming Feminism for a World on Fire. She has worked as a journalist and columnist for the Guardian and the Independent, and founded the charity Women for Refugee Women, where she was director for 15 years. She has served as visiting professor at Cambridge University and is an honorary professor at Queen Mary University of London. Natasha is also a patron of Humanists UK.