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Trade union sponsorship of UK members of Parliament

January 01, 1970

Trade union sponsorship of UK members of Parliament was a phenomenon whereby a union supported a member of the House of Commons with financial contributions.

Background edit

Until 1996, all Labour parliamentary candidates had to have their candidatures supported by one of the organisations affiliated to the Labour Party, principally the constituency Labour Parties and trade unions. Those supported by the trade unions were conventionally referred to as "sponsored MPs" and, pejoratively, as "kept men", a phrase first used by the Conservative Walter Elliot.[1] MPs were asked to declare their interests, and were not allowed to sign contracts which compelled them to achieve specific goals while in the Commons.[2] However, many wished to speak on behalf of the union in debates and ask questions on topics of interest to the union,[3] obtaining responses even when a union might be ignored. They could also keep unions informed of government or other public plans. If a union was unhappy with the position its sponsored MP took, it could speak out against them, or withdraw sponsorship. However, the sudden withdrawal of sponsorship was almost unknown; instead, an MP might be dropped at the next general election.[4]

Throughout the history of sponsorship, the unions themselves made all decisions as to which candidates to support. Some held internal elections, at which members could select which candidates would receive sponsorship, while others allowed their executives to make a decision, usually on the back of interviews with prospective candidates. Some unions set tests for potential candidates.[4]

Sponsored MPs tended to regard the Labour Party as the party of the trade unions, and resisted the efforts of some other MPs to break those links.[5]

Liberal-Labour MPs edit

Main article: Liberal-Labour (UK)

Early sponsored MPs aligned themselves with the Radical section of the Liberal Party.[5] The actual sponsorship in these years was not necessarily formal, the Lib-Lab MPs including some sponsored by local committees.[6] There were also some Lib-Lab MPs who were only elected after they had ceased involvement in a trade union, such as Cremer or Hardie.[7] However, sixty MPs between 1874 and 1910 had clear links.[6] The Lib-Labs were broadly accepted in the Liberal Party, although slightly marginalised due to their lack of personal wealth; for example, Charles Fenwick was not invited to the Speakers' dinner in 1892 because he did not own formal clothes.[8] Burns and Hardie emphasised their working class membership, and were considered more controversial.[9] Some stood as Lib Labs up to 1918, including Burt, Brace, Kenyon, Galbraith and A. J. Bailey of the General Workers(?)

The early Labour Party edit

Until 1911, Member of Parliament were not paid, and so workers could not afford to take up a seat in the Commons without sponsorship. Unions covered both electoral expenses and maintenance payments, to fund the living costs of an MP. Those Labour MPs who did not receive union sponsorship were instead paid from the Parliamentary Fund of the Labour Party, which was raised in part from unions. Even after salaries were introduced, they were low, and made it difficult for MPs to survive entirely on them, so the maintenance element endured for many years.[4]

In the early years, they provided trade unions with access to Parliament, and many were senior union officials. [10]

Union 1900[11] 1906[12] 1910 Jan 1910 Dec[13]
Candidates MPs Candidates MPs Candidates MPs Candidates MPs
ASC&J 0 0 2 1 3 1 2 1
ASE 0 0 5 2 5 2 2 2
ASLP 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0
ASPD 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
ASRS 1 1 3 2 3 3 3 3
ASS 1 0 2 2 2 1 1 1
ASLEF 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
BSSA 1 0 2 2 3 1 2 1
DWR 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
FTU 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
FSIF 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1
LSC 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1
MFGB 0 0 2[14] 2[14] 27 17 23[15] 17[15]
NAFTA 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1
NAUSAWC 0 0 2 1 1 1 1 0
NAC 0 0 0 0 1 0 1[16] 1[16]
NUB 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
NUBSO 0 0 1 1 2 0 0 0
NUDL 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0
NUGW 1 0 2[17] 1[17] 2 1 1 1
NUT 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
OSM 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
Postmen 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0
TA 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1
UPA 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1
USB 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0
UTFWA 0 0 2 2 2 2 3 2
Trades councils 1 0 3[17] 1[17] 0 0 0 0
Total 5 1 37 22 62 34 42 33

Sponsorship of MPs from other parties edit

Although the large majority of trade unions sponsored MPs initially from the Liberal Party, and later from the Labour Party, a few tried to spread their sponsorship between different parties. James Mawdsley stood as a Conservative-Labour candidate in 1899, as did Fortescue Flannery of the Amalgamated Society of Engineers in 1906, but neither was elected.

From 1895 on, the National Union of Teachers sponsored candidates. It did not affiliate to any party, but attempted to balance the number of candidates between the Liberal, Labour and Conservative parties. From 1922 onwards, the majority of successful candidate were from the Labour Party, and although it continued to sponsor member of the other parties, it sometimes failed to interest candidates in standing for the other parties.[18]

The Scottish Miners' Federation did not develop a relationship with the Liberal Party. It initially sponsored candidates from the Scottish United Trades Councils Labour Party, then the Independent Labour Party, followed by the Scottish Workers' Representation Committee. The Durham Colliery Mechanics' Association stood John Wilkinson Taylor in 1906 as an independent candidate, and Ebby Edwards was sponsored as an independent by the Northumberland Miners' Association in 1918. Of these, only Taylor was elected, and he later joined the Labour Party.[19][20]

The National Farmers' Union sponsored a National Party candidate and five independents at the 1918 UK general election, none of whom were elected. At the 1922 election, it sponsored three independents and four Conservative party candidates, of whom only the Conservatives were elected, and it continued to sponsor Conservative candidates until 1935. However, it was not part of the trade union movement and the sponsored candidates did not have a similar status to sponsored MPs in the Labour Party.[21]

The United Patternmakers' Association's general secretary, George Buchanan, remained with the Independent Labour Party after it split from the Labour Party in 1931, and it sponsored him in that election. By 1935, the union withdrew official sponsorship for him, but it set up a voluntary fund to back him to which members could choose to donate. He subsequently returned to the Labour Party.[22]

The Labour Party between the wars edit

Increasing responsibilities of both MPs and union leaders tended to prevent people from combining the two after World War I, although there were exceptions, principally in the National Union of General and Municipal Workers.[23] Increasingly, sponsored MPs were retired officials, or those who had been defeated in elections but the union still wished to maintain.[24] Even though some proved fairly ineffective as politicians, trade unions which sponsored them gained prestige in the movement. Trade unions often paid the large majority of expenses of their sponsored candidates, but their main influence lay in sending delegates to selection meetings to secure the adoption of their preferred candidate. They preferred to sponsor candidates in safe seats, and so the majority were successful in winning election.[25]

Some MPs were not sponsored by their union. In the case of the Union of Post Office Workers, from 1927, the union was barred from affiliating to the Labour Party. Instead, its candidates were sponsored by a Direct Parliamentary Representation Society, with the same membership as the union.[26] Some candidates sponsored by Divisional Labour Parties received small payments from the unions of which they held membership, such as Emmanuel Shinwell, or those backed by the National Union of Agricultural Workers. Other trade union members received no support at all from their union, such as F. W. Jowett.[27]

The sponsorship of candidates and MPs in this period was not always clearly recorded until the 1929 UK general election. However, it is clear the large majority of trade union-sponsored candidates were in urban areas, with most of the remainder in coalfield seats. Following the Labour Party's landslide defeat in the 1931 UK general election, although a lower percentage of trade union candidates won their seats, they represented a record high proportion of the much smaller parliamentary party. During this period, only one trade union-sponsored MP was a woman: Ellen Wilkinson, of the National Union of Distributive and Allied Workers.[22]

With the 1933 Hastings Agreement, for the first time, the Labour Party regulated trade union sponsorship, limiting the amount of election and organisational expenses, and costs of an agent, that unions could cover.[4]

Union 1918[28] 1922[28] 1923[28] 1924[28] 1929[29] 1931[29] 1935[29]
Cand MPs Cand MPs Cand MPs Cand MPs Cand MPs Cand MPs Cand MPs
ABFSWS 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
ASC&J/ASW 5[30] 1 6[31] 1 6[30] 3 6[32] 2 6 6 5 1 4 2
ASDFKT 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 1 1
ASE/AEU 17 1 15[33] 7[33] 7[33] 4[33] 3 3 3 2 3 3
ASLEF 3[34] 0 1[34] 0 1[34] 0 1[34] 1 1 1 0 0 1 1
ASPD 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0
AUBTW N/A N/A 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0
AUCE/NUDAW 0 1 4[35] 1[35] 4 6 4 5 1 9 5
BFAWU 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1
BISAKTA 4 2 4[36] 2 4[36] 1 3[36] 3 5 4 3 1 2 1
CIOM&KTA 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
CMSA 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0
FSIF/NUFW 2 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0
LSC 1 1[37] 2 2[37] 2 2[37] 2 2[37] 2 2 2 0 2 2
MFGB 51 25 52 41 47 43 47 40 42 42 43 26 38 32
NAFTA 2 1 0 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0
NAOP 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
NATSOPA 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 0
NAULAW N/A N/A 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
NSPW 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1
NUAW 2 0 3 0 2 1 2 0 3 0 4 0 0 0
NUB 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
NUBSO 1 1 4[38] 2 3[38] 1 2 0 5 2 5 0 3 0
NUGW/NUGMW 7 4[39] 4[39] 5[39] 7[39] 4[39] 8 6 11 2 11 6
NUR 6 1 12[40] 3 5[40] 3[40] 7[41] 3 11 8 10 0 12 5
NUS 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
NUTW 0 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 0
NUVB 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1
OBDFA 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0
PSU 0 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0
RCA 6 0 8[42] 0 5[42] 1[42] 7[42] 0 8 7 7 0 10 6
TA 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 2 1
TGWU N/A N/A 7 10 10 17 13 16 1 11 7
UPA 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1
UPW N/A N/A 6[43] 2 6[43] 3 6[43] 2 6 6 5 0 3 0
USB 5[44] 1 5[44] 1 5[44] 2 6[44] 2 4[44] 1 5[44] 1 2 1
UTFWA 10[45] 4 10[45] 3 7[45] 3 7[46] 2 6 4 8 0 6 0
WU 2[47] 0[47] 6[47] 2[47] 6[47] 2 6[47] 5 6[47] 6[47] N/A N/A N/A N/A
Other unions 59 6 8 16 8 0 4 0 0 0 3
Total 163 49 157 86 129 102 144 88 139 114 138 35 129 78
Others in 1918: Dockers: 4, Postmen: 4,[43] Fawcett Assoc: 1,[43] P&TCA: 4[43]

The Labour Party after World War II edit

The maintenance payments made by unions tended not to be increased, so by the 1950s, they formed a less significant portion of MP's income, and many unions phased them out. However, the payment of election and organisation expenses remained significant. By 1983, the GMB, AEU, NUM and NUR all paid the maximum amounts permitted under the revised Hastings agreement, but other unions, such as the TGWU and ASTMS, paid less than half of this.[4]

Constituencies were more likely to select candidates with union sponsorship, but from the late 1950s, this effect weakened, as the local dominance of individual industries, such as mining, declined, and in many cases, unions were less likely to affiliate to constituency labour parties.[4]

By the 1960s, unions increasingly saw the role as symbolic, and the sponsorship as a way of more broadly supporting the Labour Party, many sponsored MPs having little or no previous activity in the union.[10] Sponsored MPs usually met with union officials, sometimes on a quarterly basis, but often felt that the relationship with their union suffered from poor communication and a lack of more regular contact. In some cases, MPs gave regular reports to a union's executive, conference or journal.[4]

By the 1970s, manufacturing unions were in decline, and far more MPs were sponsored by white collar unions.[48] The National Union of Mineworkers, in particular, saw a big decline in the number of MPs it sponsored, while the ASTMS, NUPE and TASS greatly increased their representation. The major general unions, the TGWU and GMB, also increased their representation, and the TGWU over took the NUM as the union sponsoring the most MPs.[4]

Union 1945 1950 1951 1955 1959 1964 1966 1970 1974 Feb 1974 Oct
Cand MPs Cand MPs Cand MPs Cand MPs Cand MPs Cand MPs Cand MPs Cand MPs Cand MPs Cand MPs
ACT 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
AESD/DATA/TASS 0 0 2 0 2 2 0 2 0 3 0 2 2 4 4 4 4 4 4
AEU 4 4 10 8 13 8 12 6 15 8 19 17 17 17 21 16 21 17 18 16
ASLEF 1 2 2 2 3 2 3 2 3 3 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0
ASSET/ASTMS 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 2 4 3 14 9 13 12
ASW 4 3 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 1 1 0 1 1 1 2 N/A N/A N/A N/A
AUBTW/UCATT 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 3 2 3 3
BISAKTA 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 2 2 3 2 2 2
CAWU/APEX 1 1 2 1 1 2 1 2 1 3 1 4 4 3 3 6 6 6 6
CEU 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
ETU/EETPU 1 1 2 1 3 1 2 0 4 0 5 1 2 1 3 3 3 3 3 3
FBU 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0
LSC/NGA 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 2 1 0 1 0 0 0
MU 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 0 1 0
NATSOPA 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
NAULAW 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
NUAW 3 1 2 1 2 1 3 1 4 2 3 1 1 1 2 0 0 0 1 1
NUB 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
NUBSO/NUFLAT 4 4 2 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
NUDAW/USDAW 8 8 9 8 10 9 10 9 10 9 10 10 8 8 7 9 6 6 5 5
NUDBTW 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
NUFTO/FTAT 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 1 2 1 2 1
NUFW/AUFW 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
NUGMW 10 10 10 6 7 6 4 4 6 4 9 9 10 10 12 12 13 13 13 13
NUM 34 34 37 37 37 36 35 34 31 31 29 28 28 27 21 20 21 18 20 18
NUPE 0 0 1 1 3 2 2 2 1 2 2 5 5 6 6 7 6 7 6
NUR 13 12 12 10 10 9 11 8 9 5 7 6 8 7 6 5 7 6 6 6
NUS 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 2 1 1 1
NUTGW 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
NUVB 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 N/A N/A N/A N/A
POEU/NCU 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 3 1 3 2 2 2
SCMU 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 N/A N/A N/A N/A
SUBAW 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
TA 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
TGWU 18 17 19 16 17 14 16 14 19 14 23 21 27 27 23 19 23 23 23 21
TSSA 9 9 11 7 11 7 10 5 8 5 7 7 5 5 4 4 5 3 4 3
TWU 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
UTFWA 3 3 3 2 3 1 2 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0
UPA 2 2 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
UPW 1 1 3 1 4 2 2 1 2 2 3 2 4 4 3 1 5 2 4 2
Total 126 121 140 110 137 105 129 96 129 93 138 120 138 132 137 114 155 127 141 129

End of the system edit

By the 1980s, many unions had moved from holding elections to identify candidates, to setting tests. Another trend was to co-opt existing MPs, with their agreement, who may have had no previous link with the union, but were willing to work with it in exchange for sponsorship. Most unions removed any requirement to have worked in the industry they represented, although the NUM and ASE continued to only sponsor candidates with trade experience. In some cases, such as that of Frank Dobson, this was deemed a success; he was the son of a railway worker and regularly spoke up on issues of interest to the National Union of Railwaymen. However, in other cases, such as that of the Confederation of Health Service Employees, many sponsored MPs had little connection with union and did little to represent its interests. Some MPs hoped to receive a front-bench portfolio and focus on that, rather than union matters.[4]

Even where trade unions still sponsored members to stand for election, many introduced bans on salaried officials doing so, not wanting to lose their expertise. The Post Office Engineering Union took a different approach, and instead required John Golding to stand down as an MP on his election as general secretary of the union.[4]

The NUR attempted to reform its relationship with its sponsored MPs in 1976, by appointing Keith Hill as Political Liaison Officer, based in Westminster, and focusing on communicating with, researching for, and giving Parliamentary Questions to, the MPs. This practice was copied first by the TGWU, which appointed Jenny Pardington as Parliamentary Liaison Assistant, and then Alan Meale of ASLEF, Roger Godsiff of APEX, Bill Gilby of NUPE, Angela Eagle of COHSE, and John Starmer of the NCU. The officers began working together through Trade Unionists for a Labour Victory, which broadened into the TUCC and then TUFL, campaigning for a stronger trade union role in political matters.[4]

Despite these changes, the proportion of sponsored MPs rose through the 1980s, largely because of the smaller number of Labour MPs. By 1990, more than 60% of the party's MPs were sponsored. There was also a slow growth in the number of women who were sponsored, although their numbers remained small. Another major change was the proportion of the frontbench which was sponsored; by 1989, all but two Shadow Cabinet members were sponsored, and they were given limited assistance by the GMB. However, some unions felt that they were better off sponsoring backbenchers, as they would have more time to devote to union interests, and would be less sensitive to any press criticisms of union influence over their activities.[4]

The system led to a poor distribution of resources, with most union funds supporting MPs in safe seats, who were least in need of the election and agent expenses. In addition, some unions became frustrated that they could not get candidates adopted in seats where they had traditionally sponsored the MP, and in some cases, struggled to get them adopted in any winnable seats.[4]

The system for adopting candidates was changed in the 1980s, with an electoral college system created, giving affiliated unions a fixed but minority say in decisions. In 1990, it was changed again to a one member one vote system, despite the concerns of many unions that the party leadership was seeking to reduce their influence in the party.[4]

The Committee on Standards in Public Life issued the Nolan Report in 1995, which expressed concerns that the sponsorship system could be abused. In response, the following year, the Labour Party abolished the system. Thereafter, trade unions were invited to sponsor constituencies, rather than MPs, enabling the party to direct funding to marginal seats, and reduce the ability of unions to put forward preferred candidates.[49][50]

Union 1979[51] 1983[52] 1987[53] 1992[54]
Cand MPs Cand MPs Cand MPs Cand MPs
AEU 18 16 27 13 15 12 15 13
APEX 6 5 3 3 3 3 N/A N/A
ASLEF 1 0 2 0 0 0 2 1
ASTMS/MSF 12 8 11 10 9 8 13 13
BISAKTA 2 2 3 1 3 1 1 0
CEU 1 1 N/A N/A N/A N/A
COHSE 6 3 3 3 8 4 6 6
ETU/EETPU 4 4 7 3 3 3 10 3
FBU 0 0 1 1 0 0
GMB 14 14 14 11 12 11 22 17
NACODS 0 0 1 1 2 1 1 1
NATSOPA/SOGAT 0 0 2 2 2 2 N/A N/A
NCU 4 3 3 3 2 2 4 3
NGA/GPMU 1 0 1 0 2 0 7 5
NUAW 1 1 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
NUB 1 1 1 1 N/A N/A N/A N/A
NUFLAT 1 0 0 0 N/A N/A
NUFTO/FTAT 1 1 0 0 0 0
NUM 18 16 14 14 13 13 14 14
NUPE 8 7 10 10 16 8 15 12
NUR/RMT 13 12 12 10 9 8 13 12
NUS 1 1 1 1 1 1 N/A N/A
NUSMWCHDE 1 0 0 N/A N/A N/A N/A
SLADE 0 0 2 2 N/A N/A N/A N/A
TASS 5 4 N/A[55] 5 7 5 N/A N/A
TGWU 29 20 30 26 44 33 44 38
TSSA 3 3 1 0 2 2 2 2
UCATT 4 2 2 1 1 1 0 0
UPW 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 0
USDAW 6 5 2 2 9 8 3 3
USB 2 2 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Other unions 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0
Total 159 132 153 114 146 130 199 157

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Muller, William D. (1977). The 'Kept Men'?. Hassocks: Harvester Press. p. xiv. ISBN 0855271841.
  2. ^ Muller, William D. (1977). The 'Kept Men'?. Hassocks: Harvester Press. p. xv. ISBN 0855271841.
  3. ^ Muller, William D. (1977). The 'Kept Men'?. Hassocks: Harvester Press. p. xix. ISBN 0855271841.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Minkin, Lewis (1992). The Contentious Alliance: Trade Unions and the Labour Party. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. pp. 241–279. ISBN 0748604049.
  5. ^ a b Muller, William D. (1977). The 'Kept Men'?. Hassocks: Harvester Press. p. xviii. ISBN 0855271841.
  6. ^ a b Muller, William D. (1977). The 'Kept Men'?. Hassocks: Harvester Press. p. 3. ISBN 0855271841.
  7. ^ Muller, William D. (1977). The 'Kept Men'?. Hassocks: Harvester Press. pp. 3–4. ISBN 0855271841.
  8. ^ Muller, William D. (1977). The 'Kept Men'?. Hassocks: Harvester Press. pp. 8–9. ISBN 0855271841.
  9. ^ Muller, William D. (1977). The 'Kept Men'?. Hassocks: Harvester Press. p. 9. ISBN 0855271841.
  10. ^ a b Muller, William D. (1977). The 'Kept Men'?. Hassocks: Harvester Press. p. xvii. ISBN 0855271841.
  11. ^ Frank Bealey and Henry Pelling, Labour and Politics, 1900-1906, p.289
  12. ^ Frank Bealey and Henry Pelling, Labour and Politics, 1900-1906, pp.290-292
  13. ^ Tanner, Duncan (1990). Political change and the Labour Party 1900-1918. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 328. ISBN 0521329817.
  14. ^ a b Sponsored by the Lancashire and Cheshire Miners' Federation, an affiliate of the MFGB
  15. ^ a b One successful candidate jointly sponsored with the Independent Labour Party
  16. ^ a b Jointly sponsored with the Fabian Society
  17. ^ a b c d One successful candidate jointly sponsored by the National Union of General Workers and the West Ham Trades Council
  18. ^ Butler, David; Freeman, Jennie (1969). British Political Facts: 1900-1968 (3 ed.). London: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 9780333070796.
  19. ^ Howell, David (1983). British Workers and the Independent Labour Party, 1888-1906. Manchester: Manchester University Press. pp. 16–51. ISBN 0719017912.
  20. ^ Frank Bealey and Henry Pelling, Labour and Politics 1900-1906, p.296
  21. ^ Craig, F. W. S. (1975). Minor Parties in British By-elections, 1885-1974. London: Macmillan Press. p. 56.
  22. ^ a b Parker, James (2017). Trade unions and the political culture of the Labour Party, 1931-1940 (PDF). Exeter: University of Exeter. p. 125.
  23. ^ Muller, William D. (1977). The 'Kept Men'?. Hassocks: Harvester Press. pp. 28–29. ISBN 0855271841.
  24. ^ Muller, William D. (1977). The 'Kept Men'?. Hassocks: Harvester Press. pp. 32–33. ISBN 0855271841.
  25. ^ Parker, James (2017). Trade unions and the political culture of the Labour Party, 1931-1940 (PDF). Exeter: University of Exeter. p. 125.
  26. ^ Muller, William D. (1977). The 'Kept Men'?. Hassocks: Harvester Press. p. 29. ISBN 0855271841.
  27. ^ Muller, William D. (1977). The 'Kept Men'?. Hassocks: Harvester Press. p. x32. ISBN 0855271841.
  28. ^ a b c d Cole, G. D. H. (1948). History of the Labour Party from 1914. Routledge. pp. 87, 130, 155 and 171. ISBN 9781138333352.
  29. ^ a b c Harrison, Martin (1960). Trade unions and the Labour Party since 1945. Routledge. pp. 265–267. ISBN 9781138325050.
  30. ^ a b Higgenbottam, Samuel (1939). Our Society's History. Amalgamated Society of Woodworkers. pp. 283–284.
  31. ^ The Monthly Journal of the Amalgamated Society of Woodworkers for July 1921 lists seven candidates. W. T. Wilson died before the election could take place, but the other six candidates went to the poll.
  32. ^ "Woodworkers' six for Parliament". Manchester Guardian. 28 July 1924.
  33. ^ a b c d Jefferys, James B. (1970). The Story of the Engineers. Edinburgh: Reprints in Social and Economic History. p. 230.
  34. ^ a b c d McKillop, Norman (1950). The Lighted Flame; a History of the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen. London & Edinburgh: Thomas Nelson & Sons Ltd.
  35. ^ a b "Trade unions' "parliamentary panels"". Manchester Guardian. 19 September 1923.
  36. ^ a b c Pugh, Arthur (1951). Men of Steel. London: Iron and Steel Trades Confederation.
  37. ^ a b c d Howe, Ellic; Waite, Harold E. (1948). London Society of Compositors. London: Cassell. pp. 323–325.
  38. ^ a b Fox, Alan (1958). A History of the National Union of Boot and Shoe Operatives. Oxford: Basil Blackwell. p. 462.
  39. ^ a b c d e Clegg, H. A. (1954). General Union. Oxford: Basil Blackwell. p. 304.
  40. ^ a b c "Only five railway union candidates". Manchester Guardian. 19 November 1923.
  41. ^ "Labour's candidates". Manchester Guardian. 11 October 1924.
  42. ^ a b c d Wallace, Malcolm (1996). Single or return. Transport Salaried Staffs' Association.
  43. ^ a b c d e f Clinton, Alan (1984). Post Office Workers: A Trade Union and Social History. London: George Allen and Unwin. pp. 672–676. ISBN 9780043310861.
  44. ^ a b c d e f Mortimer, J. E. (1982). History of the Boilermakers' Society. Vol. 2. London: George Allen and Unwin. pp. 116–220. ISBN 0043310850.
  45. ^ a b c Fowler, Alan (1999). "Lancashire to Westminster: a study of cotton trade union officials and British labour 1910-39". Labour History Review (1): 1–22.
  46. ^ "Seven textile workers' candidates". Manchester Guardian. 15 October 1924.
  47. ^ a b c d e f g h Hyman, Richard (1971). The Workers' Union. Oxford: Clarendon Press. pp. 154–155.
  48. ^ Muller, William D. (1977). The 'Kept Men'?. Hassocks: Harvester Press. p. 61. ISBN 0855271841.
  49. ^ Brown, Colin (7 August 1995). "Labour to end union backing of MPs". The Independent. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
  50. ^ Wintour, Patrick (28 February 1996). "Blair to end union sponsorship". The Guardian.
  51. ^ "Parliamentary Labour candidates and election results, 3 May 1979". Report of the Seventy-Eighth Annual Conference of the Labour Party: 406–431. 1979.
  52. ^ General Election Guide. BBC Data Publications. 1983. ISBN 094635815X.
  53. ^ David Butler and Dennis Kavanagh (1987), The British General Election of 1987, p.206
  54. ^ David Butler and Dennis Kavanagh (1992), The British General Election of 1992, p.227
  55. ^ Included in AEU figure

January 01, 1970
trade, union, sponsorship, members, parliament, phenomenon, whereby, union, supported, member, house, commons, with, financial, contributions, contents, background, liberal, labour, early, labour, party, sponsorship, from, other, parties, labour, party, betwee. Trade union sponsorship of UK members of Parliament was a phenomenon whereby a union supported a member of the House of Commons with financial contributions Contents 1 Background 2 Liberal Labour MPs 3 The early Labour Party 4 Sponsorship of MPs from other parties 5 The Labour Party between the wars 6 The Labour Party after World War II 7 End of the system 8 See also 9 ReferencesBackground editUntil 1996 all Labour parliamentary candidates had to have their candidatures supported by one of the organisations affiliated to the Labour Party principally the constituency Labour Parties and trade unions Those supported by the trade unions were conventionally referred to as sponsored MPs and pejoratively as kept men a phrase first used by the Conservative Walter Elliot 1 MPs were asked to declare their interests and were not allowed to sign contracts which compelled them to achieve specific goals while in the Commons 2 However many wished to speak on behalf of the union in debates and ask questions on topics of interest to the union 3 obtaining responses even when a union might be ignored They could also keep unions informed of government or other public plans If a union was unhappy with the position its sponsored MP took it could speak out against them or withdraw sponsorship However the sudden withdrawal of sponsorship was almost unknown instead an MP might be dropped at the next general election 4 Throughout the history of sponsorship the unions themselves made all decisions as to which candidates to support Some held internal elections at which members could select which candidates would receive sponsorship while others allowed their executives to make a decision usually on the back of interviews with prospective candidates Some unions set tests for potential candidates 4 Sponsored MPs tended to regard the Labour Party as the party of the trade unions and resisted the efforts of some other MPs to break those links 5 Liberal Labour MPs editMain article Liberal Labour UK Early sponsored MPs aligned themselves with the Radical section of the Liberal Party 5 The actual sponsorship in these years was not necessarily formal the Lib Lab MPs including some sponsored by local committees 6 There were also some Lib Lab MPs who were only elected after they had ceased involvement in a trade union such as Cremer or Hardie 7 However sixty MPs between 1874 and 1910 had clear links 6 The Lib Labs were broadly accepted in the Liberal Party although slightly marginalised due to their lack of personal wealth for example Charles Fenwick was not invited to the Speakers dinner in 1892 because he did not own formal clothes 8 Burns and Hardie emphasised their working class membership and were considered more controversial 9 Some stood as Lib Labs up to 1918 including Burt Brace Kenyon Galbraith and A J Bailey of the General Workers The early Labour Party editUntil 1911 Member of Parliament were not paid and so workers could not afford to take up a seat in the Commons without sponsorship Unions covered both electoral expenses and maintenance payments to fund the living costs of an MP Those Labour MPs who did not receive union sponsorship were instead paid from the Parliamentary Fund of the Labour Party which was raised in part from unions Even after salaries were introduced they were low and made it difficult for MPs to survive entirely on them so the maintenance element endured for many years 4 In the early years they provided trade unions with access to Parliament and many were senior union officials 10 Union 1900 11 1906 12 1910 Jan 1910 Dec 13 Candidates MPs Candidates MPs Candidates MPs Candidates MPs ASC amp J 0 0 2 1 3 1 2 1 ASE 0 0 5 2 5 2 2 2 ASLP 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 ASPD 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 ASRS 1 1 3 2 3 3 3 3 ASS 1 0 2 2 2 1 1 1 ASLEF 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 BSSA 1 0 2 2 3 1 2 1 DWR 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 FTU 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 FSIF 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 LSC 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 MFGB 0 0 2 14 2 14 27 17 23 15 17 15 NAFTA 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 NAUSAWC 0 0 2 1 1 1 1 0 NAC 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 16 1 16 NUB 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 NUBSO 0 0 1 1 2 0 0 0 NUDL 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 NUGW 1 0 2 17 1 17 2 1 1 1 NUT 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 OSM 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 Postmen 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 TA 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 UPA 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 USB 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 UTFWA 0 0 2 2 2 2 3 2 Trades councils 1 0 3 17 1 17 0 0 0 0 Total 5 1 37 22 62 34 42 33Sponsorship of MPs from other parties editAlthough the large majority of trade unions sponsored MPs initially from the Liberal Party and later from the Labour Party a few tried to spread their sponsorship between different parties James Mawdsley stood as a Conservative Labour candidate in 1899 as did Fortescue Flannery of the Amalgamated Society of Engineers in 1906 but neither was elected From 1895 on the National Union of Teachers sponsored candidates It did not affiliate to any party but attempted to balance the number of candidates between the Liberal Labour and Conservative parties From 1922 onwards the majority of successful candidate were from the Labour Party and although it continued to sponsor member of the other parties it sometimes failed to interest candidates in standing for the other parties 18 The Scottish Miners Federation did not develop a relationship with the Liberal Party It initially sponsored candidates from the Scottish United Trades Councils Labour Party then the Independent Labour Party followed by the Scottish Workers Representation Committee The Durham Colliery Mechanics Association stood John Wilkinson Taylor in 1906 as an independent candidate and Ebby Edwards was sponsored as an independent by the Northumberland Miners Association in 1918 Of these only Taylor was elected and he later joined the Labour Party 19 20 The National Farmers Union sponsored a National Party candidate and five independents at the 1918 UK general election none of whom were elected At the 1922 election it sponsored three independents and four Conservative party candidates of whom only the Conservatives were elected and it continued to sponsor Conservative candidates until 1935 However it was not part of the trade union movement and the sponsored candidates did not have a similar status to sponsored MPs in the Labour Party 21 The United Patternmakers Association s general secretary George Buchanan remained with the Independent Labour Party after it split from the Labour Party in 1931 and it sponsored him in that election By 1935 the union withdrew official sponsorship for him but it set up a voluntary fund to back him to which members could choose to donate He subsequently returned to the Labour Party 22 The Labour Party between the wars editIncreasing responsibilities of both MPs and union leaders tended to prevent people from combining the two after World War I although there were exceptions principally in the National Union of General and Municipal Workers 23 Increasingly sponsored MPs were retired officials or those who had been defeated in elections but the union still wished to maintain 24 Even though some proved fairly ineffective as politicians trade unions which sponsored them gained prestige in the movement Trade unions often paid the large majority of expenses of their sponsored candidates but their main influence lay in sending delegates to selection meetings to secure the adoption of their preferred candidate They preferred to sponsor candidates in safe seats and so the majority were successful in winning election 25 Some MPs were not sponsored by their union In the case of the Union of Post Office Workers from 1927 the union was barred from affiliating to the Labour Party Instead its candidates were sponsored by a Direct Parliamentary Representation Society with the same membership as the union 26 Some candidates sponsored by Divisional Labour Parties received small payments from the unions of which they held membership such as Emmanuel Shinwell or those backed by the National Union of Agricultural Workers Other trade union members received no support at all from their union such as F W Jowett 27 The sponsorship of candidates and MPs in this period was not always clearly recorded until the 1929 UK general election However it is clear the large majority of trade union sponsored candidates were in urban areas with most of the remainder in coalfield seats Following the Labour Party s landslide defeat in the 1931 UK general election although a lower percentage of trade union candidates won their seats they represented a record high proportion of the much smaller parliamentary party During this period only one trade union sponsored MP was a woman Ellen Wilkinson of the National Union of Distributive and Allied Workers 22 With the 1933 Hastings Agreement for the first time the Labour Party regulated trade union sponsorship limiting the amount of election and organisational expenses and costs of an agent that unions could cover 4 Union 1918 28 1922 28 1923 28 1924 28 1929 29 1931 29 1935 29 Cand MPs Cand MPs Cand MPs Cand MPs Cand MPs Cand MPs Cand MPs ABFSWS 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 ASC amp J ASW 5 30 1 6 31 1 6 30 3 6 32 2 6 6 5 1 4 2 ASDFKT 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 ASE AEU 17 1 15 33 7 33 7 33 4 33 3 3 3 2 3 3 ASLEF 3 34 0 1 34 0 1 34 0 1 34 1 1 1 0 0 1 1 ASPD 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 AUBTW N A N A 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 AUCE NUDAW 0 1 4 35 1 35 4 6 4 5 1 9 5 BFAWU 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 BISAKTA 4 2 4 36 2 4 36 1 3 36 3 5 4 3 1 2 1 CIOM amp KTA 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 N A N A N A N A N A N A CMSA 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 FSIF NUFW 2 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 LSC 1 1 37 2 2 37 2 2 37 2 2 37 2 2 2 0 2 2 MFGB 51 25 52 41 47 43 47 40 42 42 43 26 38 32 NAFTA 2 1 0 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 NAOP 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 NATSOPA 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 NAULAW N A N A 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 NSPW 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 NUAW 2 0 3 0 2 1 2 0 3 0 4 0 0 0 NUB 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 NUBSO 1 1 4 38 2 3 38 1 2 0 5 2 5 0 3 0 NUGW NUGMW 7 4 39 4 39 5 39 7 39 4 39 8 6 11 2 11 6 NUR 6 1 12 40 3 5 40 3 40 7 41 3 11 8 10 0 12 5 NUS 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 NUTW 0 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 NUVB 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 OBDFA 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 PSU 0 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 RCA 6 0 8 42 0 5 42 1 42 7 42 0 8 7 7 0 10 6 TA 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 2 1 TGWU N A N A 7 10 10 17 13 16 1 11 7 UPA 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 UPW N A N A 6 43 2 6 43 3 6 43 2 6 6 5 0 3 0 USB 5 44 1 5 44 1 5 44 2 6 44 2 4 44 1 5 44 1 2 1 UTFWA 10 45 4 10 45 3 7 45 3 7 46 2 6 4 8 0 6 0 WU 2 47 0 47 6 47 2 47 6 47 2 6 47 5 6 47 6 47 N A N A N A N A Other unions 59 6 8 16 8 0 4 0 0 0 3 Total 163 49 157 86 129 102 144 88 139 114 138 35 129 78 Others in 1918 Dockers 4 Postmen 4 43 Fawcett Assoc 1 43 P amp TCA 4 43 The Labour Party after World War II editThe maintenance payments made by unions tended not to be increased so by the 1950s they formed a less significant portion of MP s income and many unions phased them out However the payment of election and organisation expenses remained significant By 1983 the GMB AEU NUM and NUR all paid the maximum amounts permitted under the revised Hastings agreement but other unions such as the TGWU and ASTMS paid less than half of this 4 Constituencies were more likely to select candidates with union sponsorship but from the late 1950s this effect weakened as the local dominance of individual industries such as mining declined and in many cases unions were less likely to affiliate to constituency labour parties 4 By the 1960s unions increasingly saw the role as symbolic and the sponsorship as a way of more broadly supporting the Labour Party many sponsored MPs having little or no previous activity in the union 10 Sponsored MPs usually met with union officials sometimes on a quarterly basis but often felt that the relationship with their union suffered from poor communication and a lack of more regular contact In some cases MPs gave regular reports to a union s executive conference or journal 4 By the 1970s manufacturing unions were in decline and far more MPs were sponsored by white collar unions 48 The National Union of Mineworkers in particular saw a big decline in the number of MPs it sponsored while the ASTMS NUPE and TASS greatly increased their representation The major general unions the TGWU and GMB also increased their representation and the TGWU over took the NUM as the union sponsoring the most MPs 4 Union 1945 1950 1951 1955 1959 1964 1966 1970 1974 Feb 1974 Oct Cand MPs Cand MPs Cand MPs Cand MPs Cand MPs Cand MPs Cand MPs Cand MPs Cand MPs Cand MPs ACT 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 AESD DATA TASS 0 0 2 0 2 2 0 2 0 3 0 2 2 4 4 4 4 4 4 AEU 4 4 10 8 13 8 12 6 15 8 19 17 17 17 21 16 21 17 18 16 ASLEF 1 2 2 2 3 2 3 2 3 3 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 ASSET ASTMS 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 2 4 3 14 9 13 12 ASW 4 3 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 1 1 0 1 1 1 2 N A N A N A N A AUBTW UCATT 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 3 2 3 3 BISAKTA 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 2 2 3 2 2 2 CAWU APEX 1 1 2 1 1 2 1 2 1 3 1 4 4 3 3 6 6 6 6 CEU 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 ETU EETPU 1 1 2 1 3 1 2 0 4 0 5 1 2 1 3 3 3 3 3 3 FBU 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 LSC NGA 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 2 1 0 1 0 0 0 MU 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 0 1 0 NATSOPA 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 NAULAW 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 N A N A N A N A N A N A N A N A NUAW 3 1 2 1 2 1 3 1 4 2 3 1 1 1 2 0 0 0 1 1 NUB 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 NUBSO NUFLAT 4 4 2 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 NUDAW USDAW 8 8 9 8 10 9 10 9 10 9 10 10 8 8 7 9 6 6 5 5 NUDBTW 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 NUFTO FTAT 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 1 2 1 2 1 NUFW AUFW 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 NUGMW 10 10 10 6 7 6 4 4 6 4 9 9 10 10 12 12 13 13 13 13 NUM 34 34 37 37 37 36 35 34 31 31 29 28 28 27 21 20 21 18 20 18 NUPE 0 0 1 1 3 2 2 2 1 2 2 5 5 6 6 7 6 7 6 NUR 13 12 12 10 10 9 11 8 9 5 7 6 8 7 6 5 7 6 6 6 NUS 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 2 1 1 1 NUTGW 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 NUVB 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 N A N A N A N A POEU NCU 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 3 1 3 2 2 2 SCMU 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 N A N A N A N A SUBAW 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 TA 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 TGWU 18 17 19 16 17 14 16 14 19 14 23 21 27 27 23 19 23 23 23 21 TSSA 9 9 11 7 11 7 10 5 8 5 7 7 5 5 4 4 5 3 4 3 TWU 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 UTFWA 3 3 3 2 3 1 2 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 UPA 2 2 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 UPW 1 1 3 1 4 2 2 1 2 2 3 2 4 4 3 1 5 2 4 2 Total 126 121 140 110 137 105 129 96 129 93 138 120 138 132 137 114 155 127 141 129End of the system editBy the 1980s many unions had moved from holding elections to identify candidates to setting tests Another trend was to co opt existing MPs with their agreement who may have had no previous link with the union but were willing to work with it in exchange for sponsorship Most unions removed any requirement to have worked in the industry they represented although the NUM and ASE continued to only sponsor candidates with trade experience In some cases such as that of Frank Dobson this was deemed a success he was the son of a railway worker and regularly spoke up on issues of interest to the National Union of Railwaymen However in other cases such as that of the Confederation of Health Service Employees many sponsored MPs had little connection with union and did little to represent its interests Some MPs hoped to receive a front bench portfolio and focus on that rather than union matters 4 Even where trade unions still sponsored members to stand for election many introduced bans on salaried officials doing so not wanting to lose their expertise The Post Office Engineering Union took a different approach and instead required John Golding to stand down as an MP on his election as general secretary of the union 4 The NUR attempted to reform its relationship with its sponsored MPs in 1976 by appointing Keith Hill as Political Liaison Officer based in Westminster and focusing on communicating with researching for and giving Parliamentary Questions to the MPs This practice was copied first by the TGWU which appointed Jenny Pardington as Parliamentary Liaison Assistant and then Alan Meale of ASLEF Roger Godsiff of APEX Bill Gilby of NUPE Angela Eagle of COHSE and John Starmer of the NCU The officers began working together through Trade Unionists for a Labour Victory which broadened into the TUCC and then TUFL campaigning for a stronger trade union role in political matters 4 Despite these changes the proportion of sponsored MPs rose through the 1980s largely because of the smaller number of Labour MPs By 1990 more than 60 of the party s MPs were sponsored There was also a slow growth in the number of women who were sponsored although their numbers remained small Another major change was the proportion of the frontbench which was sponsored by 1989 all but two Shadow Cabinet members were sponsored and they were given limited assistance by the GMB However some unions felt that they were better off sponsoring backbenchers as they would have more time to devote to union interests and would be less sensitive to any press criticisms of union influence over their activities 4 The system led to a poor distribution of resources with most union funds supporting MPs in safe seats who were least in need of the election and agent expenses In addition some unions became frustrated that they could not get candidates adopted in seats where they had traditionally sponsored the MP and in some cases struggled to get them adopted in any winnable seats 4 The system for adopting candidates was changed in the 1980s with an electoral college system created giving affiliated unions a fixed but minority say in decisions In 1990 it was changed again to a one member one vote system despite the concerns of many unions that the party leadership was seeking to reduce their influence in the party 4 The Committee on Standards in Public Life issued the Nolan Report in 1995 which expressed concerns that the sponsorship system could be abused In response the following year the Labour Party abolished the system Thereafter trade unions were invited to sponsor constituencies rather than MPs enabling the party to direct funding to marginal seats and reduce the ability of unions to put forward preferred candidates 49 50 Union 1979 51 1983 52 1987 53 1992 54 Cand MPs Cand MPs Cand MPs Cand MPs AEU 18 16 27 13 15 12 15 13 APEX 6 5 3 3 3 3 N A N A ASLEF 1 0 2 0 0 0 2 1 ASTMS MSF 12 8 11 10 9 8 13 13 BISAKTA 2 2 3 1 3 1 1 0 CEU 1 1 N A N A N A N A COHSE 6 3 3 3 8 4 6 6 ETU EETPU 4 4 7 3 3 3 10 3 FBU 0 0 1 1 0 0 GMB 14 14 14 11 12 11 22 17 NACODS 0 0 1 1 2 1 1 1 NATSOPA SOGAT 0 0 2 2 2 2 N A N A NCU 4 3 3 3 2 2 4 3 NGA GPMU 1 0 1 0 2 0 7 5 NUAW 1 1 N A N A N A N A N A N A NUB 1 1 1 1 N A N A N A N A NUFLAT 1 0 0 0 N A N A NUFTO FTAT 1 1 0 0 0 0 NUM 18 16 14 14 13 13 14 14 NUPE 8 7 10 10 16 8 15 12 NUR RMT 13 12 12 10 9 8 13 12 NUS 1 1 1 1 1 1 N A N A NUSMWCHDE 1 0 0 N A N A N A N A SLADE 0 0 2 2 N A N A N A N A TASS 5 4 N A 55 5 7 5 N A N A TGWU 29 20 30 26 44 33 44 38 TSSA 3 3 1 0 2 2 2 2 UCATT 4 2 2 1 1 1 0 0 UPW 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 0 USDAW 6 5 2 2 9 8 3 3 USB 2 2 N A N A N A N A N A N A Other unions 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 Total 159 132 153 114 146 130 199 157See also editBritish MPs sponsored by mining unionsReferences edit Muller William D 1977 The Kept Men Hassocks Harvester Press p xiv ISBN 0855271841 Muller William D 1977 The Kept Men Hassocks Harvester Press p xv ISBN 0855271841 Muller William D 1977 The Kept Men Hassocks Harvester Press p xix ISBN 0855271841 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Minkin Lewis 1992 The Contentious Alliance Trade Unions and the Labour Party Edinburgh Edinburgh University Press pp 241 279 ISBN 0748604049 a b Muller William D 1977 The Kept Men Hassocks Harvester Press p xviii ISBN 0855271841 a b Muller William D 1977 The Kept Men Hassocks Harvester Press p 3 ISBN 0855271841 Muller William D 1977 The Kept Men Hassocks Harvester Press pp 3 4 ISBN 0855271841 Muller William D 1977 The Kept Men Hassocks Harvester Press pp 8 9 ISBN 0855271841 Muller William D 1977 The Kept Men Hassocks Harvester Press p 9 ISBN 0855271841 a b Muller William D 1977 The Kept Men Hassocks Harvester Press p xvii ISBN 0855271841 Frank Bealey and Henry Pelling Labour and Politics 1900 1906 p 289 Frank Bealey and Henry Pelling Labour and Politics 1900 1906 pp 290 292 Tanner Duncan 1990 Political change and the Labour Party 1900 1918 Cambridge Cambridge University Press p 328 ISBN 0521329817 a b Sponsored by the Lancashire and Cheshire Miners Federation an affiliate of the MFGB a b One successful candidate jointly sponsored with the Independent Labour Party a b Jointly sponsored with the Fabian Society a b c d One successful candidate jointly sponsored by the National Union of General Workers and the West Ham Trades Council Butler David Freeman Jennie 1969 British Political Facts 1900 1968 3 ed London Palgrave Macmillan ISBN 9780333070796 Howell David 1983 British Workers and the Independent Labour Party 1888 1906 Manchester Manchester University Press pp 16 51 ISBN 0719017912 Frank Bealey and Henry Pelling Labour and Politics 1900 1906 p 296 Craig F W S 1975 Minor Parties in British By elections 1885 1974 London Macmillan Press p 56 a b Parker James 2017 Trade unions and the political culture of the Labour Party 1931 1940 PDF Exeter University of Exeter p 125 Muller William D 1977 The Kept Men Hassocks Harvester Press pp 28 29 ISBN 0855271841 Muller William D 1977 The Kept Men Hassocks Harvester Press pp 32 33 ISBN 0855271841 Parker James 2017 Trade unions and the political culture of the Labour Party 1931 1940 PDF Exeter University of Exeter p 125 Muller William D 1977 The Kept Men Hassocks Harvester Press p 29 ISBN 0855271841 Muller William D 1977 The Kept Men Hassocks Harvester Press p x32 ISBN 0855271841 a b c d Cole G D H 1948 History of the Labour Party from 1914 Routledge pp 87 130 155 and 171 ISBN 9781138333352 a b c Harrison Martin 1960 Trade unions and the Labour Party since 1945 Routledge pp 265 267 ISBN 9781138325050 a b Higgenbottam Samuel 1939 Our Society s History Amalgamated Society of Woodworkers pp 283 284 The Monthly Journal of the Amalgamated Society of Woodworkers for July 1921 lists seven candidates W T Wilson died before the election could take place but the other six candidates went to the poll Woodworkers six for Parliament Manchester Guardian 28 July 1924 a b c d Jefferys James B 1970 The Story of the Engineers Edinburgh Reprints in Social and Economic History p 230 a b c d McKillop Norman 1950 The Lighted Flame a History of the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen London amp Edinburgh Thomas Nelson amp Sons Ltd a b Trade unions parliamentary panels Manchester Guardian 19 September 1923 a b c Pugh Arthur 1951 Men of Steel London Iron and Steel Trades Confederation a b c d Howe Ellic Waite Harold E 1948 London Society of Compositors London Cassell pp 323 325 a b Fox Alan 1958 A History of the National Union of Boot and Shoe Operatives Oxford Basil Blackwell p 462 a b c d e Clegg H A 1954 General Union Oxford Basil Blackwell p 304 a b c Only five railway union candidates Manchester Guardian 19 November 1923 Labour s candidates Manchester Guardian 11 October 1924 a b c d Wallace Malcolm 1996 Single or return Transport Salaried Staffs Association a b c d e f Clinton Alan 1984 Post Office Workers A Trade Union and Social History London George Allen and Unwin pp 672 676 ISBN 9780043310861 a b c d e f Mortimer J E 1982 History of the Boilermakers Society Vol 2 London George Allen and Unwin pp 116 220 ISBN 0043310850 a b c Fowler Alan 1999 Lancashire to Westminster a study of cotton trade union officials and British labour 1910 39 Labour History Review 1 1 22 Seven textile workers candidates Manchester Guardian 15 October 1924 a b c d e f g h Hyman Richard 1971 The Workers Union Oxford Clarendon Press pp 154 155 Muller William D 1977 The Kept Men Hassocks Harvester Press p 61 ISBN 0855271841 Brown Colin 7 August 1995 Labour to end union backing of MPs The Independent Retrieved 31 May 2021 Wintour Patrick 28 February 1996 Blair to end union sponsorship The Guardian Parliamentary Labour candidates and election results 3 May 1979 Report of the Seventy Eighth Annual Conference of the Labour Party 406 431 1979 General Election Guide BBC Data Publications 1983 ISBN 094635815X David Butler and Dennis Kavanagh 1987 The British General Election of 1987 p 206 David Butler and Dennis Kavanagh 1992 The British General Election of 1992 p 227 Included in AEU figure Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Trade union sponsorship of UK members of Parliament amp oldid 1211477342, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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