The Labour Representation League (LRL), organised in November 1869, was a forerunner of the British Labour Party. Its original purpose was to register the working class to vote, and get workers into Parliament.[1] It had limited power, described by Eugenio Biagini as being "very weak and quite ineffective",[2] and was never intended to become a full political party. However, it played a role in supporting the election of Lib-Lab MPs. The first secretary was Cooperative Society activist and trade unionist, Lloyd Jones.[3]
In 1874, the League won two parliamentary seats.[4]
In 1886 the TUC created the Labour Electoral Association to replace the League, which in turn lead to the creation of the Labour Party.[4]
Secretaries
- 1869: Lloyd Jones
- 1873: Henry Broadhurst
- 1880: John Hales
References
- ^ Owen, James (2014). Labour and the Caucus: Working-class Radicalism and Organised Liberalism in England, 1868-88. Oxford University Press. p. 37. ISBN 9781846319440. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
- ^ Biagini, Eugenio F. (2004). Liberty, Retrenchment and Reform: Popular Liberalism in the Age of Gladstone, 1860-1880. Cambridge University Press. p. 340. ISBN 9780521548861. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
- ^ Bauman, Zygmunt, Between Class and Elite: The Evolution British Labour Movement, Manchester University Press, 1972, p.108
- ^ a b "Labour's conflict of interest" Norman Tebbit, British Broadcasting Corporation, London, UK, 22 February 2000. Retrieved 5 August 2012
External links
- "Formation of the Labour Party" by Jim Mortimer.