The Labour Party hoped to hold the seat, and narrowed its choice of possible candidates to two: Stan Awbery, an activist in the Transport and General Workers' Union, based in Wales, and John William Gordon, an Irish-born Catholic who was chief accountant of the National Union of Railwaymen.
The Labour Party sought to keep the seat, and focused its search for a candidate on two individuals: Stan Awbery, a Welsh-based union activist, and John William Gordon, an Irish-born Catholic who had experience in accounting and worked with the railway union.