Since its formation in 1948, the constituency of Sunderland North has only ever been held by the Labour party. Incumbent MP Bill Etherington first won the seat in 1992 - the year in which Sunderland gained city status.
The largest city between Leeds and Edinburgh, Sunderland is home to some 300,000 people and has undergone tremendous change within the past 50 years. Historically, the city’s economy rested on the coal mining and shipbuilding industries, though both of these have all but disappeared in recent years.
There has been massive investment in Sunderland in recent years and the building of the Metro extension from nearby Newcastle to the city will be another important part in the regeneration jigsaw.
Attractions such as the National Glass Centre on the banks of the Wear, the 48,500 capacity Stadium of Light, home to the city’s football club and the redevelopment and expansion of the Bridges shopping centre are also feted locally.
The university which caters for some 16,000 students has also just opened a major new campus on the northern banks of the River Wear with land reclaimed from the shipbuilding yards.