The origins of the league lay in the 1880 split from the National Secular Society of the Stratford Dialectical and Radical Club around Ambrose Barker.
[1] In 1881, the club was forced to abandon its activities, although it remained in existence as the Homerton Socialist Society.
Barker and Tom Lemon from the society joined with Joseph Lane and Frank Kitz to hold regular public meetings in Mile End.
These proved a success, and they formed the Labour Emancipation League to continue this work.
[4] However, in 1885 the East London branch of the SDF was one of several to split and form the Socialist League.