TORFAEN has a population of 91,097 and the main towns are Cwmbran in the south and Pontypool and Blaenavon in the north, the latter two comprise the ‘Eastern Valley’.

However, Cwmbran wards Llanyrafon and Croesyceiliog fall under the Monmouth constituency.

Torfaen’s history lies in iron and steel producing and coal mining, which is reflected in the town of Blaenavon being awarded World Heritage status in 2000, thanks to its industrial history.

It is home to Big Pit, the National Mining Museum of Wales which has become a major tourist attraction.

Cwmbran is a mecca for shoppers, while Pontypool remains a market town.

The constituency has traditionally been a safe Labour seat.

Paul Murphy became the Labour MP for Torfaen in 1987, going on to become Welsh Secretary and serve under Mo Mowlam in Northern Ireland during the Good Friday agreement peace talks.

He is defending a majority of 14,791.

2005 General Elelction result:

Paul Murphy, Labour 20,472 56.9% Nick Ramsey, Conservative 5,681 15.8% Veronica Watkins, Liberal Democrat 5,678 15.8% Aneurin Preece, Plaid Cymru 2,242 6.2% David Rowlands, UK Independence Party 1,145 3.2% Richard Turner-Thomas, Independent 761 2.1%