Labour Representation League

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.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> It had limited power, described by Eugenio Biagini as being "very weak and quite ineffective",<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> 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.<ref>Bauman, Zygmunt, Between Class and Elite: The Evolution British Labour Movement, Manchester University Press, 1972, p.108</ref>

In 1874, the League won two parliamentary seats.<ref name="bbc-2000"/>

In 1886, the TUC created the Labour Electoral Association to replace the League; in turn, this led to the creation of the Labour Party.<ref name="bbc-2000"/>

Secretaries

• 1869: Lloyd Jones
• 1873: Henry Broadhurst
• 1880: John Hales

External links

• "Formation of the Labour Party" by Jim Mortimer.

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