[2] The London Borough of Barking and Dagenham saw the most rapid decrease in people of White British ethnicity in the 10 years to the 2011 census, of 31.4 percentage points.

However the same dataset shows that 58.3% of people are white in the seat, which is similar to the Greater London average.

The seat was first contested in the 2010 general election which resulted from the Boundary Commission's report that recommended merging the majority of the former constituencies of Dagenham and Hornchurch and added to existing electoral wards a small part of River ward was also transferred from Barking.

In 2015, Cruddas, incumbent won an 11.6% majority; the runner-up party changed to being UKIP closely followed by the Conservative candidate.

2010–2024: The London Borough of Barking and Dagenham wards of Alibon, Beam, Chadwell Heath, Eastbrook and Rush Green, Goresbrook, Heath, Parsloes, Valence, Village, and Whalebone, and the London Borough of Havering wards of Beam Park, Elm Park, Hacton (part), Rainham & Wennington, and South Hornchurch.