A carved coconut caddy which belonged to the founder of the British Labour Party sold at auction for more than three times its expected price.

The gift was presented to James Keir Hardie by a prominent leader of the Congress in India during a fact-finding visit to Bengal in 1907.

The lot sold for a hammer price of £1,100, with VAT and the 17.5 per cent buyer's premium taking the final price to £1,300, McTear's Auctioneers said.

The caddy, which is believed to have been used to store tea, had been expected to fetch around £350 at the sale in Glasgow.

Magda Ketterer, from McTear's Auctioneers, said: "We knew the connection to Keir Hardie would raise interest in the piece, and this proved to be the case on the day.

"It is very timely that a rare item like this should come up for sale so near to a general election.

"It is a unique piece and we are delighted that it has secured such a good price at the sale."

James Keir Hardie was born in 1856 in Newhouse, North Lanarkshire. In 1900 he organised a meeting of various trade unions and socialist groups and they agreed to form a Labour Representative Committee, creating the Labour Party.