The Bradford Labour Union was a political party based in Bradford in England, which was an important forerunner of the

Independent Labour Party The Independent Labour Party (ILP) was a British political party of the left, established in 1893 at a conference in Bradford, after local and national dissatisfaction with the Liberals' apparent reluctance to endorse working-class candidates ...

. In late 1890 and early 1891, there was a major strike at the Manningham Mills in Bradford. Following the strike, many local trade unionists believed that they needed an independent organisation which would nominate trade unionists for political posts who would not be affiliated with the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

or the

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

. The Labour Union was founded in 1891 by a group of trade unionists, including James Bartley, Charlie Glyde,

Edward Hartley Edward Robertshaw Hartley (25 May 1855 – 18 January 1918) was a British socialist politician. Hartley began work in a mill at the age of ten, before becoming a warehouse clerk and then a butcher. He became an active socialist in 1885, in reac ...

, William Henry Drew and

Joseph Hayhurst Joseph Hayhurst (1864 – 13 June 1919) was a British politician and trade union leader. Born in Lancaster, Lancashire, Hayhurst worked at the Manningham Mills in Bradford, where he joined the Bradford and District Amalgamated Society of Dye ...

.{{cite journal , last1=Crick , first1=Martin , title=The Bradford Branch of the Social-Democratic Federation , journal=The Bradford Antiquary , date=1991 , volume=5 , pages=25–40 , url=http://www.bradfordhistorical.org.uk/oddities.html , accessdate=29 November 2018 They agreed to run a joint slate in the municipal elections with the

Bradford Trades Council Bradford Trades Council brings together trade unionists in and around Bradford, in West Yorkshire in England. History The first Bradford Trades Council was founded in July 1867 by six local unions. They were inspired by the London tailors' stri ...

, and they put up Bartley, Edwin Halford, Andrew Hopkinson, and Samuel Shaftoe, on a platform of an eight-hour day for municipal workers, and for municipal contracts to employ trade union members. Only Shaftoe won a seat, and he worked closely with the Liberal Party, but in 1892 the socialist Fred Jowett was elected, as was Leonard Robinson.Fenner Brockway, Socialism Over Sixty Years: The Life of Jowett of Bradford. London: George Allen and Unwin, 1946 Additionally, Drew was elected to the

school board A board of education, school committee or school board is the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or an equivalent institution. The elected council determines the educational policy in a small regional are ...

Keith Laybourn Keith Laybourn (born 13 March 1946) is Diamond Jubilee Professor of the University of Huddersfield and Professor of History. He is a British historian of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century specialising in labour history and the work ...

and John Saville, "Drew, William Henry (Harry)", ''Dictionary of Labour Biography'', vol.IV, pp.75–77 This success led the Labour Union to decide to stand a candidate in the 1892 general election. Initially, it agreed to sponsor

Robert Blatchford Robert Peel Glanville Blatchford (17 March 1851 – 17 December 1943) was an English socialist campaigner, journalist, and author in the United Kingdom. He was also noted as a prominent atheist, nationalist and opponent of eugenics. In the early ...

in Bradford East, but he withdrew, and instead the party sponsored Ben Tillett in Bradford West. Tillett was jointly sponsored by the Labour Union and the Trades Council, and he took 30.2% of the vote, although this was only enough for third place.David Howell, ''British Workers and the Independent Labour, 1888–1906'', Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1984, pp. 471–484. The party inspired the formation of Labour Unions in other towns and cities:

Colne Valley The Colne Valley is a steep sided valley on the east flank of the Pennine Hills in the English county of West Yorkshire. It takes its name from the River Colne which rises above the town of Marsden and flows eastward towards Huddersfield. ...

, Huddersfield and Salford. This increase in interest in independent labour representation led to support for a national party, and an arrangements committee was established by interested activists at the 1892

Trades Union Congress The Trades Union Congress (TUC) is a national trade union centre, a federation of trade unions in England and Wales, representing the majority of trade unions. There are 48 affiliated unions, with a total of about 5.5 million members. Frances ...

. This held a conference in Bradford from 14–16 January 1893, chaired by Drew, which founded the

. The Bradford Labour Union merged into the new body.

References

Independent Labour Party Labour parties Political parties established in 1891 Political parties disestablished in 1893 Politics of Bradford