Don Valley has a rich history. The constituency has existed, with minor changes, since 1918, when the original Doncaster seat was divided between Don Valley and Rother Valley. The name is taken from the River Don which flows into the constituency from the west, into the centre of Doncaster.

Between 1918 and 1997, the constituency has just five MPs. All were local men from coal mining backgrounds. Even today, the constituency's core is tightly knit former mining communities. Only Rossington village had a working colliery that survived into the 21st century. Rossington was mothballed in the summer of 2006.

Taking pride of place in the constituency is Britain's newest airport, Robin Hood Airport Doncaster-Sheffield. Opened in April 2005, after an eight year campaign, Robin Hood Airport already employs around 1,000 people on site with flights to Europe, North America, and the Caribbean among its many destinations.

Don Valley consists of small detached villages and towns within a large swathe of agricultural land, to the east, south and west of Doncaster. It is straddled by the M18 and the A1(M). It is to the people of this diverse constituency, with high deprivation in parts, and pockets of prosperity, that I renewed my election pledges in 2005.