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| Jeremy Corbyn: At-a-glance guide to Labour's new leader | Jeremy Corbyn: At-a-glance guide to Labour's new leader |
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| Jeremy Corbyn has been elected as the new Labour Party leader, making him the leader of the UK's official opposition. Here's a guide to him and his victory. | Jeremy Corbyn has been elected as the new Labour Party leader, making him the leader of the UK's official opposition. Here's a guide to him and his victory. |
| What has happened? | What has happened? |
| The 66-year-old Jeremy Corbyn has won the leadership of the UK's second largest party. He began the contest in May as the rank outsider and only got onto the ballot paper when some MPs who did not agree with his policies nominated him to "broaden the debate". But his anti-austerity message proved distinctive and popular and propelled him to victory, helped by tens of thousands of non-Labour Party members paying £3 to vote in the election. The significance of his victory is that Labour - which was in power for 13 years under Tony Blair's leadership as a centre-left party - has swung to the left with a leader whose policies are widely likened to the ones ditched by the party after election defeats in the 1980s. Here's more on how Corbyn won it. | |
| How long has he been in politics? | How long has he been in politics? |
| A long time. He was first elected to Parliament in 1983, when Margaret Thatcher was prime minister. He has been MP for the London constituency of Islington North for 32 years, being re-elected seven times. Before becoming an MP, he was active in Labour politics, firstly in Shropshire and then in London, where he was a local councillor for nearly a decade. | A long time. He was first elected to Parliament in 1983, when Margaret Thatcher was prime minister. He has been MP for the London constituency of Islington North for 32 years, being re-elected seven times. Before becoming an MP, he was active in Labour politics, firstly in Shropshire and then in London, where he was a local councillor for nearly a decade. |
| Has he ever worked in government? | Has he ever worked in government? |
| No, far from it. He has never been offered a job by any Labour leader over the past 30 years. In fact, as a familiar figure on the backbenches, he has spent a lot of his time opposing them. He was the most rebellious Labour MP between 1997 and 2010 and has voted against his party more than 500 times during his parliamentary career. | No, far from it. He has never been offered a job by any Labour leader over the past 30 years. In fact, as a familiar figure on the backbenches, he has spent a lot of his time opposing them. He was the most rebellious Labour MP between 1997 and 2010 and has voted against his party more than 500 times during his parliamentary career. |
| What is his background? | What is his background? |
| Born in a market town in Wiltshire, in the west of England, his father was an engineer and his mother was a maths teacher. He was went to a fee-paying preparatory school and then a selective state grammar school in Shropshire and left school with two A-levels. He spent two years working in a voluntary service programme in Jamaica before leaving the North London Polytechnic without a degree. Read all about his background, family life and political career in The Jeremy Corbyn Story. | |
| What does he believe in? | What does he believe in? |
| As a democratic socialist, he believes in higher taxation for the wealthiest, greater public ownership, with the railways and utilities earmarked for renationalisation, an end to private involvement in the health service, a new free national education service and an agenda of "growth not austerity". He has pledged to oppose spending cuts and said he would use the Bank of England to pump billions into the economy to boost infrastructure and manufacturing. Read more: What is Corbyn's programme for government? | |
| What's his view of the world? | What's his view of the world? |
| He has vowed to stop the UK entering any more "illegal wars", saying he cannot conceive of any situation in which he would deploy British troops abroad. A fierce opponent of the 2003 Iraq War, he earlier helped found the Stop the War Coalition. A long-time campaigner for unilateral nuclear disarmament, he has called for Trident, the UK's nuclear weapons system, to be scrapped. He also wants reform of Nato, saying it has expanded too aggressively. On Europe, he has indicated he would campaign to keep the UK in the EU but has criticised Brussels for being too pro-business. He has been criticised for the company he keeps, having once invited representatives of Hamas and Hezbollah to Parliament. | He has vowed to stop the UK entering any more "illegal wars", saying he cannot conceive of any situation in which he would deploy British troops abroad. A fierce opponent of the 2003 Iraq War, he earlier helped found the Stop the War Coalition. A long-time campaigner for unilateral nuclear disarmament, he has called for Trident, the UK's nuclear weapons system, to be scrapped. He also wants reform of Nato, saying it has expanded too aggressively. On Europe, he has indicated he would campaign to keep the UK in the EU but has criticised Brussels for being too pro-business. He has been criticised for the company he keeps, having once invited representatives of Hamas and Hezbollah to Parliament. |
| What about his free time? | What about his free time? |
| As a full-time advocate for peace and human rights, political campaigning has been his lifetime's work. His only paid job outside politics was working for two trade unions, the National Union of Public Employees and the National Union of Tailors and Garment Workers. He is a keen cyclist - he does not own a car - as well as being a supporter of Arsenal football club. He has been married three times, most recently earlier this year. He has three sons, one of whom worked for his leadership campaign. He is a vegetarian and does not drink alcohol. His brother Piers is an astrophysicist and weather forecaster. | As a full-time advocate for peace and human rights, political campaigning has been his lifetime's work. His only paid job outside politics was working for two trade unions, the National Union of Public Employees and the National Union of Tailors and Garment Workers. He is a keen cyclist - he does not own a car - as well as being a supporter of Arsenal football club. He has been married three times, most recently earlier this year. He has three sons, one of whom worked for his leadership campaign. He is a vegetarian and does not drink alcohol. His brother Piers is an astrophysicist and weather forecaster. |