CRI听力:Jeremy Corbyn Elected New Leader of UK Labour Party

During the build up to the Labour Party leader election which took place last Thursday, Jeremy Corbyn took British politics by storm. Entering the Labour Party leadership competition in the last minute, the left-wing MP ended up winning nearly 60% of more than 400,000 votes.

It is the first time for the Labour Leadership election to employ the "one member one vote" system, allowing anyone to register to vote in the leadership election by paying a 3 pound fee online. Results show that over 80% of this new category of voters voted for Corbyn.

"During this amazing three months, our party has changed. We've grown enormously because of the hopes of so many ordinary people for a different Britain, a better Britain, a more equal Britain, and a decent Britain. They're fed up with the inequality, the injustice, the unnecessary poverty. All those issues have brought people in in a spirit of hope and optimism."

The 66-year-old Corbyn has been a backbencher in the House of Commons for over 30 years and has been described as a "rebel" inside his own party.

Corbyn's election is seen as a broad rejection of the centrist "New Labour" consensus that dominated the party during the Premierships of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.

Former Labour Leader Ed Milliband who resigned following Labour's 2015 General Election defeat, says Corbyn will have to face the great challenge of uniting an increasingly divided Labour Party.

"I will be offering Jeremy Corbyn my support and I hope people across the Party do so too. I hope also that Jeremy reaches out to all parts of the Party because he as a big job to do to seek to unite the Party and I believe he doesn't intend to do that and I hope he does."

On the Government side of the bench, Conservative Defence Secretary Micheal Fallon has described the new opposition leader as a risk to Britain's national security.

"This election shows that Labour now poses a very serious risk to our security, our national security, because they'll undermine our defences; to our economic security, because the will be taxes on jobs, on earnings, and more borrowing, and the security of every family that will affect every working people."

In his acceptance speech, Jeremy Corbyn promised that Labour will take the fight directly to the Conservative Party.

A few hours after winning the election, Corbyn addressed a rally in central London calling the government to welcome more refugees.

"But above all, open your hearts and open your minds and open your attitude towards the people who are desperate, who needs somewhere safe to live, want to contribute to our society and our human beings just like all of us."

For CRI, I'm Duan Xuelian in London