Co-operative Party (Great Britain)

Seeing the need for a political watchdog in the co-operative movement, The Joint Parliamentary Committee was set up in 1881. It was primarily a watchdog on parliamentary activities. They looked at the problem of under-representation and lobbying. Issues and legislation could only be raised in the House of Commons by lobbying sympathetic Members of Parliament. As it was somewhat unsatisfactory to have to lobby MPs on each individual issue, motions were passed at the Co-operative Union Annual Congress urging direct parliamentary representation. However, societies would not commit funds and were divided on whether or not co-operatives should become involved in politics.

At the start of the First World War, the many retail societies in the co-operative movement grew in both membership and trade, in part because of their very public anti-profiteering stance. When conscription was introduced and food and fuel supplies restricted, these societies began to suffer. The movement was under-represented on the various governmental distribution committees and draft tribunals. Co-operatives received minimal supplies and even management were often drafted, whereas business opponents were able to have even clerks declared vital for the war effort. Societies were also required to pay excess profits tax, although their co-operative nature meant they made no profits. In response to the treatment of the co-operative movement by the wartime government, a motion was tabled at the 1917 Congress held in Swansea by the Joint Parliamentary Committee and 104 retail societies, calling for direct representation at national and local government levels. The motion was passed by 1979 votes to 201.

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