The constituency of Kensington and Chelsea has, in past elections, been solidly Tory, with their councillors representing nearly all the seat at Kensington and Chelsea town hall.
The seat is home to the true "Sloane Rangers", with many living in elegant tree-lined squares and select mews cottages: it contains some of the richest homes in England; many of the nationís movers and shakers have homes here, particularly in business, the media and the arts, and many Foreign Embassies are in the constituency.
Although generally a very affluent area, it also sees some of the problems associated with an inner city constituency: there are a fair number of refugees living in bedsits along the Cromwell Road, and homelessness is an issue too.
At the 1997 general election, it was the 11th safest Conservative seat. Even against the background of Tony Blair's landslide triumph, Alan Clark still managed a majority of nearly 10,000. However his death in September 1999 prompted a by-election which saw the return to Parliament of Michael Portillo, who had lost Enfield Southgate in 1997.