Category: Semi-marginal Labour seat

Geography: Wales ,Gwent. Part of the Newport council area.

Main population centres: Newport, Caerleon.

Profile: Newport grew up as a port during the nineteenth century, shipping the coal from the Welsh valleys. In the twentieth century the port declined and the largest employer instead became the steelworks at Llanwern, more recently the steelworks have closed and Newport has become a home for hi-tech industry. It became a city in 2002. Newport West contains the part of the city to the west of the river Usk, including the city centre and some of the more affluent suburbs. To the north it covers the large 1960s housing development of Bettws and the historical town of Caerleon, notable for its well preserved Roman remains.

Politics: Newport was a single safe Labour seat until 1983, when it was split into East and West divisions along the line of the River Usk. Newport West was initially won by the Conservatives in their 1983 landslide but was taken by Labour in 1987 and has remained in their hands ever since. While there is still substantial Tory support here, they would only be likely to actually win the seat in the case of another landslide of the scale of 1983.