Early career In 1906, Attlee became a volunteer at Haileybury House, a charitable club for working-class boys in Stepney in the East End of London run by his old school, and from 1907 to 1909 he served as the club's manager. Until then, his political views had been more conservative. However, after his shock at the poverty and deprivation he saw while working with the slum children, he came to the view that private charity would never be sufficient to alleviate poverty and that only direct action and income redistribution by the state would have any serious effect. This sparked a process that caused him to convert to socialism. He joined the Independent Labour Party (ILP) in 1908 and became active in local politics. In 1909, he stood unsuccessfully at his first election, as an ILP candidate for Stepney Borough Council.
Early career In 1906 Attlee became a volunteer at Haileybury House a charitable club for working-class boys in Stepney in the East End of London run by his old school and from 1907 to 1909 he served as the club's manager Until then his political views had been more conservative However after his shock at the poverty and deprivation he saw while working with the slum children he came to the view that private charity would never be sufficient to alleviate poverty and that only direct action and income redistribution by the state would have any serious effect This sparked a process that caused him to convert to socialism He joined the Independent Labour Party (ILP) in 1908 and became active in local politics In 1909 he stood unsuccessfully at his first election as an ILP candidate for Stepney Borough Council