A creation of the 1995 Boundary Commission, Clwyd West is made up mainly of the former Clwyd North West seat, which was regarded as the safest Tory seat in Wales, with an unbroken run of Conservative control at Westminster, since 1935.
After the retirement of Sir Anthony Meyer in 1992 - who launched the first, unsuccessful challenge to Mrs Thatcher - it was held by Rod Richards.
Clwyd West was contested for the first time at the 1997 general election, when Gareth Thomas snatched it for Labour on a 16.1% swing with a narrow majority of 4.6%.
In 1999 Clwyd West was a top target seat for the Conservatives, but the then Welsh Conservative leader Rod Richards was again defeated by Labour, this time by a mere 760 votes.
Economically and socially, the seat comprises the coastal retirement and holiday areas around Colwyn Bay, together with inland rural areas which have higher proportions of Welsh speakers.
Consequently, the nature of the electorate varies dramatically, from mostly English pensioners on the coast, to the indigenous Welsh-speaking hinterland.