This constituency has a long river frontage which stretches from the boundary with London at Purfleet round to East Tilbury. Much of the population and commercial activity is centred along the riverfront and the port of Tilbury. This includes many large and important industrial sites, including one remaining oil refinery and some manufacturing industry.
Commercial life in the seat is dominated by Lakeside Thurrock, one of Europe's largest indoor shopping malls - with over 300 shops under one roof - which lies in the south west corner of the constituency, just off the M25. The centre, which attracts shoppers from Kent, East London and other parts of Essex, has brought a large number of jobs to the constituency.
In the 1992-7 parliament, this seat was a lone Labour island amongst a sea of Tory constituencies in Essex: this changed on 1 May 1997, when Essex Man was a little more willing to vote Labour and the Labour majority here in Thurrock increased significantly on a swing of over 17%.