Roundup: 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 to 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.

Corbyn expressed his gratitude to people who took part in the election, and welcomed new members of Labour Party in his acceptance speech.

He said Britain should respond with humanity, support and compassion dealing with refugee and migrant crisis.

"We must recognise that going to war creates a legacy of bitterness and problems. Let us be a force for change, humanity and peace in the world. We are one world," he added.

Corbyn pledged that Labour need to take more action to address inequality, and the party need an economic strategy to improves people's lives, expands the economy and reaches out to care for everybody.

He concluded Labour would become more inclusive, involved and democratic, to shape the future of everyone in this country.

Ed Miliband, former Labour leader said he would offer Corbyn his support, saying "I hope also that Jeremy Corbyn reaches out to all parts of the party because he has a big job to do to unite the party."

"It's a massive opportunity for our party," Miliband said, adding that he is going to be serving as a backbencher concentrating on the issues he cares about.

Corbyn's 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.

The son of a couple who met during the Spanish Civil War, the Grammar school educated politician never went to university and is famed for defying Labour bosses in parliament more than any other MP.

He became a vegetarian at 20 after a spell working on a pig farm, doesn't own a car but cycles everywhere instead, is described as left wing and writes a regular column in the Morning Star newspaper.

He is opposed to nuclear weapons and wants to see the cancellation of Britain's Trident nuclear weapons program. This year it was reported he had married a Mexican coffee importer, Laura Alvarez, 20 years younger than him. She became his third wife after two broken marriages.

He is teetotal and a supporter of the London premiership team, Arsenal, and is five times winner of Parliament's "beard of the year" contest.

An anti-monarchist, he once asked Blair to remove the Royal Family from Buckingham Palace.

British Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said "Labour are now a serious risk to our nation's security, our economy's security and your family's security."

He said Labour Party led by Corbyn would hurt working people.

"This is a very serious moment for our country, the Conservatives will continue to deliver stability, security and opportunity for working people," he said in a statement. Endit