Upminster is located on the eastern edge of London, on the border with Essex. The seat comprises the usually solid Labour territory of Harold Hill, a sprawling council estate in the north which was built after the second world war to house the overspill population from London.
In stark contrast, the southern part of the seat covers the middle-class and prosperous Cranham and Emerson park. The seat also includes the area from which it gets its name, Upminster.
Local successes include Hall Mead school in Cranham, which was one of 300 schools nationwide to receive Beacon status and the Thames Chase Community Forest, which has been awarded over £4m to aid its development as a new English woodland.