Socialist Jeremy Corbyn wins

Anti-austerity leftwinger Jeremy Corbyn was elected leader of Britain's opposition Labour Party yesterday in a landslide victory that could divide the party and cause headaches for the gnovernmet on foreign policy.

The 66-year-old socialist, whose policies have been compared to those of Greece's Syriza and Spain's Podemos, was named leader after clinching 59.5 percent of the votes cast by Labour supporters.

The newly-elected chief -- the nation's most left-wing political leader for over 30 years -- immediately faced resignations from the shadow cabinet of Britain's main opposition party.

Corbyn slammed the Conservatives for presiding over "grotesque levels of inequality" and "an unfair welfare system" in his victory speech to the party faithful.

Labour was "united and absolutely determined in our quest for a decent and better society that is possible for all", he said to cheers from supporters, who shouted "Jez We Can!" when his win was announced.

The veteran MP has said he will oppose Britain joining in air strikes against the Islamic State Group over Syria and has been ambiguous on his stance on an upcoming referendum on Britain's EU membership.

In a campaign fuelled by protest groups and trade unions, he comfortably beat the more centrist Yvette Cooper, Andy Burnham and Liz Kendall -- who all had far stronger support from fellow Labour MPs.

Corbyn has electrified Labour's leadership race, which was triggered by the resignation of Ed Miliband after he lost May's general election to David Cameron's right-wing pro-austerity Conservatives.

His chances at the next 2020 general election are thought to be slim but the Conservative Party was quick to react to his victory with a statement calling him a threat to national security.

"Labour are now a serious risk to our nation's security, our economy's security and your family's security," Michael Fallon, the defence minister, said in a statement.

In his first speech as leader, Corbyn meanwhile called for Cameron to show more "compassion" in dealing with the Syrian refugee crisis and said he would attend a demonstration yesterday.

Corbyn drew strong support from students who had never voted before to older people disillusioned with Labour since it moved to the centre-ground of British politics under Tony Blair in the 1990s and led the country into the controversial 2003 Iraq war. The bearded, grey-haired vegetarian crammed in 99 campaign appearances, eschewing soundbites and usually wearing sandals and carrying a cup of tea.