By politics.co.uk staff

MPs are being asked to support a move to have Charles Darwin's birthday made a public holiday in Britain.

The campaign is timed to coincide with the 200th anniversary of the biologist's birth and the 150th anniversary of the publication of On the Origin the Species, the seminal text which explained evolutionary theory for the first time.

Andrew Copson, director of education and public affairs at the British Humanist Association (BHA) said: "Charles Darwin is one of the greatest and most influential thinkers who ever lived and one of Britain's greatest scientists.

"In the middle of February we could all do with an extra public holiday and recognition of this particular day would be a great way of celebrating Britain's great contribution to science, reason and free thought."

Darwin's birthday was on February 12th.

The campaign is being supported by Ashok Kumar, the Labour MP for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland, who has tabled an early day motion in the Commons.

The motion already has the support of ten MPs.

It reads: "That this House notes the extraordinary achievements of Charles Darwin; notes that 2009 marks both the 200th anniversary of Darwin's birth and the 150th anniversary of the publication of On the Origin of Species; welcomes proposals for the creation of a Darwin Day in recognition of the ground-breaking work of the British scientist responsible for the theory of evolution by natural selection; and calls for Darwin's birthday, 12 February, to be designated a public holiday in honour of one of the fathers of modern science and one of Britain's greatest, if not the greatest, scientific minds."

The current campaign follows a similar effort in 2003 when over 40 highly-regarded academics, philosophers, scientists and writers called for a new public holiday, including philosopher Simon Blackburn, biologist Richard Dawkins, co-discoverer of DNA Francis Crick, author Philip Pullman and writer Claire Rayner.

The Darwin Day initiative follows several high-profile campaigns by atheist and secularist groups, including the now-infamous atheist buses currently operating around the country which feature the slogan: "There is probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life."