It followed the death of Spencer Leigh Hughes and resignation of George Wardle, the two Members of Parliament (MPs) for Stockport.

In order to keep their local organisations happy, they convinced Wardle to resign, enabling both to stand a candidate.

The majority of the Labour Party were opposed to the Coalition, and determined to stand candidates outside it in an attempt to gain Wardle's seat.

After some discussion, they decided to stand economist and former Liberal MP Leo Chiozza Money and to support the candidature of the national organiser of the Co-operative Party, Samuel Perry.

A leading Irish trade unionist and secretary of the Irish Labour Party, William O'Brien, was interned by Britain for his role in the conflict, and he decided to stand in the by-election as a platform for his cause, and in an attempt to embarrass the British Labour Party into action.

Perhaps in part as a result of the by-election, they moved their position to more actively support the Irish labour movement.