 In 1913, when Scurr was Chairman of the London District Committee of the Dock, Wharf, Riverside and General Labourers' Union, he was a last minute socialist candidate at the Chesterfield by-election.He contested the 1914 Ipswich by-election, where he finished in third place; as the Conservatives gained the seat from the Liberals.At the 1918 general election, he unsuccessfully contested the Liberal seat of Buckingham, splitting the anti-Tory vote and allowing the Conservatives to win.