When Stephen Hesford won Wirral West with a majority of 2,738 in 1997, he became the first Labour member for the seat and the symbol of Labour victory in the metropolitan county.
This corner of the Wirral peninsula is predominantly middle class and residential. As such, it had been regarded as an area in which the Conservative Party was unbeatable - after the 1992 election it was the safest Conservative seat in the whole of Merseyside. Mr Hesford’s success here offered proof of New Labour's impact among the wealthy middle class in England.
The constituency includes the seaside towns of West Kirby, Hoylake and Meols. Many residents commute to Birkenhead and Liverpool from here. Moving inland, Wirral West embraces Greasby, Irby and Pensby.
Lying on the eastern edge of the constituency, which borders Birkenhead, are Upton and Prenton, both of which contain parts of the Woodchurch council estate as well as post-war private housing. It is in Woodchurch, parts of which are depressed in nature, that the core of Labour support is found.