What Was The Birmingham Political Union (BPU)?

The BPU had played a leading part in the agitation between 1830 and 1832, which had resulted in the passing of the Reform Act. In May 1837, the BPU was re-founded by Thomas Attwood, a banker. It thus played a part in the origins of the Chartist movement.

His main aim was to achieve currency reform. Attwood wished to persuade parliament to abandon the gold base of the currency, which was producing a credit squeeze particularly harmful to the small business's characteristics of Birmingham. In order to achieve this, Attwood recognised that parliament reform would first be necessary. The BPU's political programme therefore rapidly came to endorse the principles of household suffrage, triennial parliaments, the secret ballot, the payment of MPs and the abolition of the property qualification. It also forged links with Scotland and other parts of Britain. The organisation hoped to pressurise parliament into accepting its demands by organisation a national petition.