[1] The Labour Union was founded in 1891 by a group of trade unionists, including James Bartley, Charlie Glyde, Edward Hartley, William Henry Drew and Joseph Hayhurst.
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.
[4] This success led the Labour Union to decide to stand a candidate in the 1892 general election.
[1][5] The party inspired the formation of Labour Unions in other towns and cities: Colne Valley, Huddersfield and Salford.
This held a conference in Bradford from 14–16 January 1893, chaired by Drew, which founded the Independent Labour Party.