1st LD Writethru: Jeremy Corbyn elected Britain's opposition Labour party leader

The man who entered as a "wild card" the race to lead Britain's main opposition Labour party was Saturday crowned as its new leader at a special conference close to Westminster.

Jeremy Corbyn, 66, who has never had a top-table job in the party since becoming an MP in 1983, on Saturday became Labour's prime minister in waiting. All he needs to do is lead his party to victory against the governing Conservatives in 2020 to earn those coveted keys to 10 Downing Street.

He beat three contenders in the leadership race, two of them high level members of Labour's front-bench team.

Corbyn captured 251,417 votes, just under 60 percent of the 422,664 votes cast.

His victory came when the results of the four-way fight were announced at a special Labour conference. The result rocked the Labour establishment to its very core, sending shock waves through the party hierarchy.

Content with lurking on the back benches in Parliament since becoming MP for the London constituency in Islington North 32 years ago, Corbyn was cascaded into the political limelight when he was persuaded at the last minute to enter the leadership race.

With odds of winning put initially by bookmakers at 200-1, Corbyn's participation was seen as a side-show, giving party members a wider choice in the election. It was to be a two-horse race between shadow cabinet co-favorites Yvette Cooper and Andy Burnham, with loyal Blairite, Liz Kendall an outside favorite. Corbyn was not even expected to leave the starting block, but ended up as odds-on favorite.

Something stunning had occurred. Labour changed its rules to allow people to become party supporters, paying three pounds (4.6 U.S. dollars) to earn a vote. The party membership rocketed, with hundreds of thousands joining, most of them backing Corbyn.

Suddenly theaters and public arenas across the country were crammed to capacity as people, particularly younger supporters, cheered Corbyn as the new political "Messiah".

The party wheeled out its big runs to warn against a Corbyn victory, people like ex-prime ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. Their warnings just stoked the flames of support for Corbyn even more. It demonstrated that in the eyes of many, Labour the runners up in the general elections of 2010 and 2015, had lost its way.

Against warnings of the party facing annihilation under Corbyn, he continues to lead the race, leaving his three challengers trailing way behind. Endit