John Battle has been Labourís MP here since 1987 and currently enjoys a majority close to 20,000, but the party would do well to remember the "wild card" nature of this constituency. It has been, after all, the scene of one of the greatest ever reversals of fortune in recent election history
Despite being held by Labour since the second world war, the 1983 election saw Liberal Michael Meadowcroft overturn a majority of 10,000 to claim a shock victory over Joe Dean by a clear 2,000 votes, after a street-to-street campaign focusing on local issues. However, just as 1983 marked a low point in Labour's history, 1987 was to mark the beginning of a difficult time for centralist politicians. Just one term after victory, Mr Meadowcroft was defeated by John Battle, after voters felt his priorities were too rooted in municipal matters rather than parliamentary politics.
Leeds West has built up an impressive industrial base, helped by excellent communication and transport links, and a central position in relation to the rest of the country. Engineering, textile manufacture and printing are all to be found here, and the majority of the population who work are employed in skilled-manual trades.