 He was appointed by the Conservative and Unionist Party to raise money for the Unionist Working Men's Candidates Fund.He was also involved in a secret plan by Arthur Steel-Maitland and Conservative Central Office to gain control of the "Daily Express", but was outmanoeuvred by the future Lord Beaverbrook.However, his main political preoccupation before 1914 was harrying Asquith's Liberal government over the selling of honours and the Marconi scandal.