Conservative Party Mutual Aid: Myth or Reality?

Abstract

Mutual Aid, the practice by which Conservative constituency associations in safe seats regularly sent groups of party workers to nearby marginals, was widely presumed at the time to have been a contributory factor to consecutive Conservative General Election victories in the 1950s. Indeed, Mutual Aid is still a part of party electoral organisation today. However the practice has been subject to little detailed analysis, its effectiveness and contribution to Conservative electoral recovery simply taken for granted. It is the purpose of this article to examine the origin, operation and effectiveness of Mutual Aid in the marginal constituencies. Although the direct impact of Mutual Aid may always be impossible to prove beyond doubt in terms of victories won, it can be shown that the perception of its wider benefits guaranteed it a place in the party hierarchy's campaigning strategy.