Labour Electoral Association

The Labour Electoral Association was a political organisation in the United Kingdom which aimed to get working men elected to Parliament.

The issue of political representation for workers had become increasingly important for the Trades Union Congress (TUC). At the 1885 congress, there was unanimous support for James Stafford Murchie's motion, introduced on behalf of the International Working Men's Association, that candidates who were members of trade unions should be welcomed, as should the establishment of Labour Associations in London and Birmingham, which aimed to support their election.

At the 1886 TUC congress, George Shipton called for the establishment of funds to support trade union candidates, and T. R. Threlfall, who had himself stood unsuccessfully for Parliament at that year's general election. successfully proposed that a Labour Electoral Committee be established. The initial committee consisted of John Wilson (President), William Abraham and James M. Jack (Vice-Presidents), Stuart Uttley (Chairman), Edward Harford (Treasurer), and Threlfall (Secretary).

The committee had some initial success, with "over a dozen" local associations established in its first year, these generally being linked to a trades council. However, it was hampered by a lack of any programme, disagreements over whether it should support candidates in local elections, and whether it could support Conservative Party or independent candidates, or only Liberal Party ones. Although this was not officially resolved, its local associations did start supporting local candidates. The committee frequently debated the merits of Liberal-Labour and independent labour candidacies; its position was generally to support only candidates who were thought to have widespread local backing, and never stand propaganda candidates in the hope of building support. Where trades councils had socialist majorities, independent candidates were sometimes given support, but elsewhere, only Liberals were endorsed.

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