The largest settlements, Sudbury and Hadleigh, are small, quiet towns, somewhat off the beaten track, and the only other significantly built-up area in the seat is the suburb of Pinewood, just outside the limits of Ipswich, where there are many new developments.

There is still some industry in Brantham, close to the Essex border, but most of the seat is traditional agriculture, sitting alongside remote commuter bases for those working in London, Ipswich, Colchester or Chelmsford.

In common with many seats of this type, it is fairly safe for the Conservatives, with the opponents being significantly lower in terms of the vote share.

Workless claimants were in November 2012 significantly lower than the national average of 3.8%, at 2.5% of the population based on a statistical compilation by The Guardian.

[3] All but two of the Borough of St Edmundsbury wards, including the town of Haverhill, were transferred to the new constituency of West Suffolk.