List of British republicans
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Supporters of republicanism in the United Kingdom—replacing the country's monarchy with a republic—typically favour an elected head of state to a constitutional monarch who heads the British royal family.[note 1]
Individuals (living)
Politicians (serving)
- Rhun ap Iorwerth, First Minister of Wales, MS, and leader of Plaid Cymru[1]
- Natalie Bennett, peer and former leader of the Green Party of England and Wales[2]
- Lara Bird, MP (SNP)[3]
- Richard Burgon, MP (Labour)[4]
- Maggie Chapman, MSP (Scottish Greens)[5]
- Katy Clark, MSP (Scottish Labour), peer and former MP (Labour)[6]
- Tom Copley, Deputy Mayor of London for Housing and Residential Development and former AM (Labour Co-op)[7]
- Jeremy Corbyn, MP (Your Party) and former leader of the Labour Party[8]
- Iris Duane, MSP (Scottish Greens)[9]
- Mark Ferguson, MP (Labour)[10]
- Stephen Flynn, MSP (SNP)[11]
- Zöe Garbett, Mayor of Hackney (Green Party)[12][13]
- Ross Greer, MSP (Scottish Greens)[14]
- Nia Griffith, MP (Labour)[7]
- Llyr Gruffydd, MS (Plaid Cymru)[15]
- Peter Hain, peer and former MP (Labour)[16]
- Patrick Harvie, MSP and co-leader of the Scottish Greens[17]
- Elin Jones, MS (Plaid Cymru) and former Llywydd (Presiding Officer) of the Senedd[18]
- Clive Lewis, MP (Labour)[19]
- Gillian Mackay, MSP (Scottish Greens)[20]
- John McDonnell, MP (Labour)[21]
- Paul McLennan, MSP (SNP)[22]
- Zack Polanski, leader of the Green Party of England and Wales and Member of the London Assembly[23]
- Ken Skates, MS (Welsh Labour)[24]
- Lorna Slater, MSP and co-leader of the Scottish Greens[25]
- Andy Slaughter, MP (Labour)[26]
- Anthony Slaughter, MS (Green Party of England and Wales)[27]
- Cat Smith, MP (Labour)[28]
Politicians (former)
.png)
_(cropped).jpg)
- Norman Baker, former MP (Liberal Democrats)[29]
- Jonathan Bartley, theologian and former co-leader of the Green Party of England and Wales[30]
- John Biggs, former Labour mayor of Tower Hamlets[30]
- Mhairi Black, former MP (Scottish National Party)[31]
- Steven Bonnar, former MP (Scottish National Party)[32]
- Russell Brown, former MP (Labour)[30]
- Rosemary Byrne, former MSP (Scottish Socialist Party)[33]
- Ronnie Campbell, former MP (Labour)[34]
- Michael Clapham, former MP (Labour)[35]
- David Crausby, former MP (Labour)[30]
- Roseanna Cunningham, former MSP (SNP)[30]
- Frances Curran, former MSP (Scottish Socialist Party)[36]
- Ian Davidson, former MP (Labour)[37]
- Ron Davies, former MP (Labour), Independent councillor and political activist (Plaid Cymru)[38]
- Emma Dent Coad, former MP (Labour)[39]
- Mark Drakeford, former MS, leader of Welsh Labour and First Minister of Wales[40]
- Bill Etherington, former MP (Labour)[41]
- Linda Fabiani, former MSP (SNP)[30]
- Colin Fox, former MSP (Scottish Socialist Party)[42]
- George Galloway, former MP (Labour, Respect, Workers Party) and leader of the Workers Party[43]
- Rob Gibson, former MSP (SNP)[30]
- Roger Godsiff, former MP (Labour)[30]
- Christine Grahame, MSP (SNP)[30]
- John Griffiths, former MS (Welsh Labour)[30]
- David Hanson, former MP (Labour)[44]
- Neale Hanvey, former MP (Alba and SNP)[45]
- Derek Hatton, former deputy leader of Liverpool City Council (Labour)[46]
- John Heppell, former MP (Labour)[44]
- Kelvin Hopkins, former MP (Labour)[30]
- Julian Huppert, former MP (Liberal Democrats)[30]
- Brian Iddon, former MP (Labour)[30]
- Lynne Jones, former MP (Labour)[47]
- Rosie Kane, former MSP (Scottish Socialist Party)[48]
- Carolyn Leckie, former MSP (Scottish Socialist Party)[49]
- Ken Livingstone, former mayor of London and Labour MP[50]
- Caroline Lucas, former MEP, MP and co-leader of the Green Party of England and Wales[51]
- Andrew MacKinlay, former MP (Labour) and councillor (Liberal Democrats)[52]
- Denis MacShane, author and former MP (Labour)[53]
- Magid Magid, former MEP (Green Party of England and Wales) and Lord Mayor of Sheffield[54]
- Bob Marshall-Andrews, barrister and former MP (Labour)[52]
- John McAllion, former MP and MSP (Labour)[55]
- Stewart McDonald, former MP (SNP)[56]
- Chris McEleny, former councillor (Alba and SNP)[57]
- Natalie McGarry, former MP (SNP and Independent)[58]
- Jim McGovern, former MP (Labour)[30]
- Ann McKechin, former MP (Labour)[30]
- Anne McLaughlin, former MP (SNP)[59]
- Chris Mullin, former MP (Labour)[60]
- Doug Naysmith, former MP (Labour)[52]
- Stephen Pound, former MP (Labour)[30]
- Gordon Prentice, former MP (Labour)[52]
- Ash Regan, former MSP (Alba and SNP)[61]
- Ken Ritchie, former Labour councillor, psephologist and founder of Labour for a Republic[7]
- Phil Sawford, former MP (Labour)[62]
- Bethan Sayed, former MS (Plaid Cymru)[30]
- Tommy Sheppard, former MP (SNP)[63]
- Tommy Sheridan, former MSP (Scottish Socialist Party)[64]
- Jim Sillars, former MP (Labour and SNP)[65]
- Dennis Skinner, former MP (Labour)[66]
- Nicola Sturgeon, former MSP (SNP), First Minister of Scotland and leader of the Scottish National Party[67]
- Adam Tomkins, former MSP (Conservative)[52]
- Jean Urquhart, former MSP (SNP and Independent)[5]
- Mercedes Villalba, former MSP (Scottish Labour)[68]
- Graham Watson, former MEP (Liberal Democrats)[30]
- Sandra White, former MSP (SNP)[30]
- Chris Williamson, former MP (Labour and Independent)[69]
- Bill Wilson, former MSP (SNP) and political activist (Scottish Greens)[30]
- Leanne Wood, former MS (former leader of Plaid Cymru)[30]
- Humza Yousaf, former MSP (SNP), First Minister of Scotland and leader of the Scottish National Party[61]
Political activists
- Tariq Ali, author and political activist[70]
- Jamie Bevan, Welsh language activist[71]
- Julie Bindel, writer and political activist[72]
- Bill Bonnar, Scottish Socialist Party campaigner[73]
- Catherine Mayer, author and co-founder of the Women's Equality Party[74]
- Alan McCombes, Scottish Socialist Party campaigner[75]
- Gareth Miles, Welsh language activist[76]
- Craig Murray, former diplomat and activist[77]
- Mike Small, Scottish author and activist[78]
- Peter Tatchell, gay rights campaigner[79][80]
- Kevin Williamson, Scottish writer and activist[81]
Political staff and advisors
- Alastair Campbell, political strategist, journalist and author[82]
- Philip Collins, journalist and former chief speechwriter to Tony Blair[83]
- Andrew Fisher, political adviser and consultant[84]
- Lance Price, writer, journalist and former political adviser to Tony Blair[30]
Trade unionists
- John Edmonds, former General Secretary of GMB Union[85]
- Mick Lynch, General Secretary of the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT)[86]
- Arthur Scargill, former trade union leader, leader of the Socialist Labour Party[87]
Journalists and non-fiction writers
.jpg)
_258_BW2.jpg)
- Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, columnist for The Independent[30]
- Jackie Ashley, journalist[88]
- Julian Baggini, philosopher and writer[30]
- Piers Brendon, historian and writer[30]
- Emma Brockes, author and journalist[89]
- Heather Brooke, journalist, writer and FOI activist[30]
- Julie Burchill, writer and columnist[30][90]
- Beatrix Campbell, journalist and author[30]
- Nick Cohen, columnist for The Observer[91]
- Michael Collins, writer and broadcaster[92]
- Robert Crampton, journalist (The Times)[93]
- Bill Emmott, former editor of The Economist[94]
- Otto English, author and journalist[95]
- Jonathan Freedland, journalist[30]
- Tanya Gold, journalist[96]
- Roy Greenslade, journalist and academic[30]
- Johann Hari, writer and journalist[97]
- Lester Holloway, journalist and former councillor (Labour)[98]
- Mick Hume, journalist[99]
- Owen Jones, journalist[100][101]
- Kitty Kelley, American journalist and author[30]
- Simon Kelner, journalist and former editor of The Independent[102]
- Matt Kennard, journalist and head of investigations at Declassified UK[103]
- A. L. Kennedy, writer and academic[104]
- Philippe Legrain, economist and writer[30]
- Tim Lott, author[30]
- Iain Macwhirter, political commentator[105]
- Kevin Maguire, journalist[106]
- Kenan Malik, writer, lecturer and broadcaster[30]
- Andrew MacGregor Marshall, journalist[107]
- Allegra McEvedy, chef and food writer[104]
- Chris McLaughlin, journalist[30]
- Suzanne Moore, journalist[30]
- Tom Nairn, essayist[108]
- Brendan O'Neill, journalist[30]
- Susie Orbach, psychotherapist and writer[104]
- Stephen Pollard, author and journalist[30]
- Jay Rayner, food critic[109]
- Brian Reade, Daily Mirror columnist[110]
- Vicky Richardson, journalist[30]
- Paul Routledge, Daily Mirror journalist[111]
- Frances Ryan, journalist and political activist[112]
- Ash Sarkar, journalist and political activist[113][114]
- Miranda Sawyer, journalist[115]
- Mark Seddon, journalist[30]
- Will Self, journalist[116]
- Joan Smith, novelist, journalist and human rights activist[30]
- Polly Toynbee, columnist for The Guardian[30]
- Janice Turner, journalist and columnist for The Times[117]
- Francis Wheen, journalist, writer and broadcaster[30]
- Peter Wilby, journalist[118]
- Gary Younge, journalist[30]
Novelists and fiction authors
- Philippa Gregory, novelist[30]
- Mark Haddon, novelist[30]
- James Kelman, novelist and playwright[119]
- Kathy Lette, novelist[120]
- John Niven, screenwriter and author[121]
- Caryl Phillips, novelist[30]
- Philip Pullman, author[104]
- Michèle Roberts, novelist and poet[122]
- Sara Sheridan, author and historical novelist[123]
- Zadie Smith, author[124]
- Jonathan Trigell, author[30]
Broadcasters
- Simon Fanshawe, writer and broadcaster[30]
- Mariella Frostrup, journalist and broadcaster[125]
- Julia Hartley-Brewer, radio presenter and political journalist[126]
- John Humphrys, radio and television presenter[127]
- Mark Kermode, film critic, journalist[128]
- Paul Mason, political commentator and author[129]
- Fiona Phillips, journalist and broadcaster[130]
- Amol Rajan, journalist and broadcaster[131]
- Lesley Riddoch, radio broadcaster, activist and journalist[132]
- Matthew Wright, broadcaster and journalist[133]
Business people
- Dawn Airey, media executive and sports administrator[104]
- Alan McGee, co-founder of Creation Records and Poptones[134]
- Tim Waterstone, founder of Waterstones bookshops and author[104]
Actors
.jpg)
- Steve Coogan, actor and comedian[135][136]
- Brian Cox[137]
- Ben Dover, pornographic actor[138]
- Christopher Eccleston[139]
- Colin Firth, actor,[140] played King George VI in The King's Speech (2010)
- Mark Gatiss, actor, comedian, screenwriter and novelist[141][142]
- Margot Leicester, actor,[143] appeared in King Charles III (2017) as Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall
- Paul McGann[144]
- Tobias Menzies, actor, played Prince Philip in The Crown[145]
- Josh O'Connor,[146] played Prince Charles in The Crown
- Daniel Radcliffe[147]
- Dougray Scott[148]
- Elaine C. Smith[149]
- Samuel West, actor and director,[150] portrayed Prince Albert Victor in Edward the Seventh and The Ripper, and King George VI in Hyde Park on Hudson (2012)
Comedians
- Frankie Boyle, comedian and writer[151]
- Jo Brand[30][152]
- Robin Ince, comedian, actor and writer[30]
- Eddie Izzard, comedian, actor and writer[153]
- Lloyd Langford[154]
- Rob Newman[104]
- John Oliver,[155] actor and comedian, host of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
- Mark Steel[79]
- Mark Thomas, comedian, author and activist[30]
- Tracey Ullman, actor and comedian[156]
- Henning Wehn[157]
Singers, musicians and composers
- Akala, rapper[158]
- James Dean Bradfield, lead vocalist and guitarist of the Manic Street Preachers[159]
- Ray Burns (Captain Sensible), musician[30]
- Adrian Fry, trombonist and arranger[160]
- Iona Fyfe, singer[5]
- Mark 'Barney' Greenway, singer[30]
- Paul Heaton, singer (The Beautiful South)[161]
- Pat Kane, musician (Hue and Cry), journalist and political activist[132]
- Kunt and the Gang, musician[162]
- Sean Moore, musician (Manic Street Preachers)[159]
- Morrissey, singer-songwriter and author (formerly of The Smiths)[163]
- Craig Reid, musician (The Proclaimers)[164]
- Charlie Reid, musician (The Proclaimers)[164]
- Paul Simonon, musician (formerly of The Clash)[30]
- Robert Smith, musician (The Cure)[165]
- Paul Towndrow, saxophonist[166]
- Nicky Wire, musician (Manic Street Preachers)[159]
Artists
- Steve Bell, cartoonist[30]
- Peter Fluck, caricaturist and satirist[104]
- Mark McGowan, performance artist known as Chunky Mark and The Artist Taxi Driver[167]
- Ralph Steadman, cartoonist[104]
Theatre and film directors
- John Boorman, film director[168]
- Danny Boyle, Academy Award-winning film director[169]
- Richard Eyre, theatre and film director[104]
- Stephen Frears, film director and producer[170]
- Paul Greengrass, film director and screenwriter[30]
- Duncan Jones, film director, producer and screenwriter[171]
- Mike Leigh, writer and director of film and theatre[30]
- Ken Loach, film and television director[30]
Screenwriters and playwrights
- Alan Bissett, author and playwright[5]
- Jon Canter, television comedy writer[30]
- Maureen Chadwick, screenwriter, dramatist and television producer[30]
- Michael Frayn, author and playwright[172]
- David Hare, playwright[94]
- Julia Pascal, playwright and theatre director[30]
Poets
- Tony Harrison, poet, translator and playwright[173]
- Mike Jenkins[174]
- Patrick Jones, poet, playwright and filmmaker[30]
- Liz Lochhead, Makar (National Poet for Scotland) and essayist[175]
- Sean O'Brien, poet and critic[176]
- Michael Rosen, novelist and poet[30]
- Luke Wright[177]
Sportspeople
- Joey Barton, football manager and former footballer[178]
- Stan Collymore, former footballer[30]
- Frankie Dettori, Italian jockey[179]
- Brian Moore, former rugby union player[180]
Legal professionals
.jpg)
- Louise Christian, human rights lawyer[30]
- Imran Khan, lawyer[52]
- Michael Mansfield, KC[79][181]
- Geoffrey Robertson, KC[30]
- Clive Stafford Smith, lawyer and human rights campaigner[182]
Academics
- Kehinde Andrews, author and professor of Black Studies at Birmingham City University[183]
- Sophie Grace Chappell, philosopher[184]
- Richard Dawkins, evolutionary biologist and writer[30][185]
- Gregor Gall, writer and academic[186]
- Ted Honderich, academic and philosopher[30]
- Laura McAllister, Professor of Public Policy and the Governance of Wales at the Wales Governance Centre, Cardiff University[187]
- Steven Rose, scientist and writer[30]
- Quentin Skinner, academic and historian[188]
- Adam Tomkins, academic and former MSP (Scottish Conservatives)[52]
- Nigel Warburton, academic and philosopher[30]
Religious figures
YouTubers
- Alex O'Connor, YouTuber and podcaster[190]
- Shaun, YouTuber[191]
- Abigail Thorn, YouTuber, actress and playwright[192]
Individuals (deceased)
Politicians
- Tony Banks (1942–2006), MP and peer (Labour)[60]
- Tony Benn (1925–2014), MP (Labour)[193]
- Charles Bradlaugh (1833–1891), MP (Liberal)[194]
- George Buchanan (1890–1955), MP (Labour)[195]
- William Cluse (1875–1955), MP (Labour)[196]
- Richard Crossman (1907–1974), MP (Labour) and editor of the New Statesman[197]
- Donald Dewar (1937–2000), Scottish Labour politician and First Minister of Scotland[198]
- Sir Charles Dilke (1843–1911), MP (Liberal)[199]
- Jack Dormand (1919–2003), MP and peer (Labour)[200]
- Raymond Fletcher (1921–1991), MP (Labour)[201]
- Paul Flynn (1935–2019), MP (Labour)[30]
- Michael Foot (1913–2010), MP (Labour) and leader of the Labour Party[202]
- Willie Gallacher (1881–1965), MP (Communist Party of Great Britain)[196]
- Arthur Greenwood (1880–1954), MP (Labour)[203]
- Willie Hamilton (1917–2000), MP (Labour)
- George Hardie (1873–1937), MP (Labour)[196]
- Keir Hardie (1856–1915), MP and founder of the Labour Party[200]
- Roy Hattersley (1932–2026), MP (Labour) and peer[79]
- Emrys Hughes (1894–1969), MP (Labour) and journalist[204]
- Glenda Jackson (1936–2023), MP (Labour) and actress[30]
- William Keenan (1889–1955), MP (Labour)[205]
- George Lansbury (1859–1940), MP (Labour) and leader of the Labour Party[206]
- Margo MacDonald (1943–2014), MP and MSP (SNP)[207]
- David Marquand (1934–2024), academic, author and former MP (Labour)[208]
- James Maxton (1885–1946), MP (Independent Labour Party)[196]
- Valentine McEntee (1871–1953), MP (Labour)[209]
- John McGovern (1887–1968), MP (Labour)[210]
- Kevin McNamara (1934–2017), MP (Labour)[60]
- Michael Meacher (1939–2015), MP (Labour)[211]
- John Stuart Mill (1806–1873), MP (Liberal), philosopher and political economist[16]
- Peter Mond, 4th Baron Melchett (1948–2018), life peer (Labour) and campaigner
- Mo Mowlam (1949–2005), MP (Labour) and Secretary of State for Northern Ireland[212]
- Stan Orme (1923–2005), MP (Labour)[60]
- John Prescott (1938–2024), MP, peer (Labour) and Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom[213]
- Gwilym Prys-Davies (1923–2017), peer (Labour)[30]
- Richard Rogers (1933–2021), peer (Labour) and architect[214]
- Alfred Salter (1873–1945), MP (Labour)[215]
- Alex Salmond (1954–2024), MP, MSP and First Minister of Scotland (SNP, Alba)[216]
- Nancy Seear (1913–1997), peer and social scientist (Liberal, then Liberal Democrats)[217]
- Algernon Sidney (1623–1683), English politician and political theorist[218][219]
- Campbell Stephen (1884–1947), MP (Independent Labour Party)[196]
- Dick Taverne (1928–2025), MP (Labour, Democratic Labour) and peer (Liberal Democrats)[30]
- Ernest Thurtle (1884–1954), MP (Labour)[204]
- Kay Ullrich (1943–2021), MSP (SNP)[220]
- Benjamin Vaughan (1751–1835), political economist and MP[221]
Political activists, advisers and social reformers
- Jeremy Bentham (1748–1832), philosopher, jurist and social reformer[222][223]
- Julian Cayo-Evans (1937–1995), Welsh political activist and leader of the Free Wales Army[224]
- Dennis Coslett (1939–2004), Welsh political activist (Free Wales Army) and author[225]
- Marcia Falkender (1932–2019), peer and private secretary to prime minister Harold Wilson[226]
- George William Foote (1850–1915), secularist and journal editor; secretary of the London Republican Club (1870) and National Republican League (1871)[227][228]
- John Frost (1750–1842), English radical[229]
- Stephen Maxwell (1942–2012), SNP activist[230]
- Trefor Morgan (1914–1970), Welsh nationalist activist[231]
- Thomas Muir of Huntershill (1765–1799), Scottish political reformer[232]
- Mary Wollstonecraft (1759–1797), feminist writer and philosopher[233]
Journalists, authors and writers
- J. G. Ballard (1930–2009), novelist[234]
- William Blake (1757–1827), writer and artist[235]
- Robert Burns (1759–1796), poet and lyricist[236]
- Carmen Callil (1938–2022), writer and publisher[237]
- John Cole (1927–2013), BBC political editor[238]
- Thomas Davison (1794–1826), journalist and publisher[239]
- A. A. Gill (1954–2016), journalist and critic[240]
- Thomas Gordon (c. 1691–1750), Scottish writer and Commonwealthman[241]
- Alasdair Gray (1934–2019), Scottish author[242]
- Barbara Hall (1923–2022), crossword compiler and writer[243]
- James Harrington (1611–1677), political theorist and author[244]
- Christopher Hitchens (1949–2011), author and columnist
- Leonard Hobhouse (1864–1929), political theorist[245]
- Anthony Holden (1947–2023), writer, broadcaster and critic[246]
- Mervyn Jones (1922–2010), writer[247]
- Ethel Mannin (1900–1984), novelist and travel writer[248]
- Kingsley Martin (1897–1969), editor of the New Statesman, 1930–60[249]
- John Milton (1608–1674), poet[250]
- Edwin Morgan (1920–2010), Makar (National Poet for Scotland) and translator[175]
- Jan Morris (1926–2020), historian and writer[251]
- William Morris (1834–1896), writer and artist[252]
- Deborah Orr (1962–2019), journalist[253]
- Thomas Paine (1737–1809), English-American author and revolutionary[254]
- Ronald Payne (1926–2013), journalist and war correspondent[255]
- Edward Pearce (1939–2018), New Statesman contributor[256]
- Claire Rayner (1931–2010), journalist[257]
- George W. M. Reynolds (1814–1879), author and journalist[258]
- Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792–1822), English Romantic poet[259]
- Sue Townsend (1946–2014), author (wrote the best-selling political satire The Queen and I, in which Britain becomes a republic, later adapted as a TV drama on Sky One, and its sequel, Queen Camilla)[260]
- H. G. Wells (1866–1946), writer[261][262]
- Peter Whelan (1931–2014), playwright[30]
- Andreas Whittam Smith (1937–2025), journalist (co-founder and first editor of The Independent)[263]
- Gwyn A. Williams (1925–1995), historian[108]
- Benjamin Zephaniah (1958–2023), poet[264]
Singers, musicians and composers
- Shane MacGowan (1957–2023), singer and songwriter (The Pogues)[265]
- Robert Simpson (1921–1997), composer[266][267]
Actors
- Honor Blackman (1925–2020)[79]
- Andrew Ray (1939–2003), actor who played the Duke of York (George VI) in Edward and Mrs Simpson and the Duke of Windsor (Edward VIII) in Passion and Paradise[268]
Artists
- Terence Conran (1931–2020), designer and restaurateur[104]
- William James Linton (1812–1897), wood-engraver and author[269]
Legal professionals
- Anthony Scrivener (1935–2015), QC[30]
- Nathaniel Wade (c. 1666?–1718), English lawyer[270]
Academics
- Patrick Collinson (1929–2011), historian[271]
- Bernard Crick (1929–2008), academic and political philosopher[70]
- Stephen Haseler (1942–2017), professor, author[30]
Military personnel
- Robert Overton (c. 1609–1678), English soldier and scholar[272]
- John Lawson (ca. 1615–1665), naval officer[273]
Religious figures
- Joseph Fawcett (c. 1758–1804), English Presbyterian minister and poet[274]
- Donald Soper (1903–1998), Methodist minister and peer (Labour)[275]
Media figures
- Max Clifford (1943–2017), publicist[104]
- Tony Garnett (1936–2020), television producer[276]
Other public figures
- Nicholas Culpeper (1616–1654), botanist, herbalist, physician and astrologer[277]
