UK: Champagne and celebrations as Jeremy Corbyn named Labour leader

Thousands of Jeremy Corbyn supporters gathered at Hyde Park in London, Saturday, to hear the announcement of the Labour leadership election. There were scenes of jubilation when it was announced that the veteran left-winger was elected as Leader of the Opposition. The 66-year-old beat fellow Labour MPs Andy Burnham, Yvette Cooper, and Liz Kendall in the leadership contest, gaining 251,417 or 59 percent of first preference votes. The MP for the London constituency of Islington North was a rank outsider at the start of the election campaign, only gaining a place on the ballot paper after being nominated by centrist MPs seeking to broaden the range of debate within the party. His underdog candidacy has been marked by harsh criticism from the political establishment and mainstream media, with particular attention focused on his socialist economic views and links to Palestinian and Irish nationalist groups. However following the result, it appears many underestimated the appeal of the longtime parliamentary rebel's anti-austerity message, which energised a generation of young people new to politics, as well as former Labour Party members disillusioned by the party's rightward drift. The regulations under which the election was undertaken allowed 'registered supporters' to join the Party for just £3 (€4), a fact which contributed to the groundswell of support that sealed Corbyn's victory against the odds.