Wakefield has elected a Labour MP to Westminster every Parliament of the past 60 years. David Hinchcliffe has been the MP since 1987, and managed to increase his majority from 6,590 in 1992 to 14,604 in 1997.
Wakefield was the capital of the old West Riding, and of the metropolitan county of West Yorkshire until its abolition in 1986. Despite its cathedral, historic market place and a fine collection of buildings, the political preferences of the town have always been shaped by its industrial heritage.
Traditional coal fields may have given way to commercial offices and high technology firms, but a heavy industrial belt continues to thrive around this seat, with the working population split evenly between those in manual and non-manual jobs.
Most residents are white, although there is a small Asian minority. Unemployment is around the national average at 3.8% and just under 30% of housing in the seat is council rented. This, combined with the seat's coal mining history and the working-class roots of many of its inhabitants, have made this seat hard going for Conservative candidates in the past.