Joseph's politics and House of Lords reform

Joseph was a life-long Liberal and was active in Liberal politics in York. He founded its local association and held the office of Chairman for a significant time. In his youth he admired Liberal statesman and future Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone. His radical ideas came to the fore in 1907 when he wrote a pamphlet entitled The First Step which advocated House of Lords reform. He argued that the House of Lord’s right to veto bills sent up to them by the House of Commons should be abolished. This would be a preliminary step to reform with Joseph favouring an elected chamber based on proportional representation.

Image: From originals held at the Borthwick Institute for Archives.