From the moment he first entered public life, Dick Taverne embodied the modern humanist politician: unsentimental about tradition, fearless in the face of ideological convenience, and rooted in reason rather than deference.
He founded the Institute for Fiscal Studies, later helped to create Sense About Science, and consistently argued that reason, evidence, and openness are the foundations of a civilised society. His book The March of Unreason (2005) warned of the cultural drift from evidence to dogma, a theme that defined his public voice.
In the House of Lords he championed secularism, humanist marriages, assisted dying, and the rights of non-religious people both in the UK and overseas. His legacy lies not only in the causes he advanced but the manner in which he did so: calm, rigorous, and humane. He showed how a humanist outlook can anchor an ethical and courageous public life.
