Jeremy Corbyn election attracts 40,000 new Labour Party members in five days

Tens of thousands of people have joined Labour after Jeremy Corbyn won almost 60% of the vote in the party's leadership contest on the back of a left-wing surge in support. The party has claimed now more than 352,000 people are full members of the reds after more than 40,000 people signed up on the back of the Islington North MP's victory on 12 September.

The surge comes after Corbyn garnered 251,417 votes (or 59.5%) in the first round of Labour's leadership contest to beat former hopefuls Andy Burnham (19%), Yvette Cooper (17%) and Liz Kendall (4.5%).

More than 400,000 people voted in the contest, including £3 registered supporters, members, and affiliated supporters from the trade unions. Corbyn was miles ahead across the sections, giving him a clear and solid electoral mandate to lead Labour into the 2020 general election.

Corbyn, speaking at the Trades Union Congress (TUC) in Brighton, said: "The values that people bring to joining the party and the party brings to them have to be things that we fight for every single day. I want the unions and the Labour Party to work together to win people over to the basic values we all accept, to change minds and change politics so that we can have a Labour government, we can look in a different direction, we can look away from the policy of growing inequality."

Tom Watson, the MP for West Bromwich East who is known for helping expose the Westminster child abuse scandal, was also victorious after beating Stella Creasy to become deputy leader. The 48-year-old secured 198,962 votes (50.7%) in the third round of voting.

"To all my comrades in arms in this hall and throughout the UK I say, come with us, join with us - we are going to weave ourselves back into communities in every inlet and avenue of Britain. There should be nowhere in these islands that's not Labour. We stand for common sense and decency of the great British people - nothing is stronger than that. And if we take that out into the streets together, we will win," he declared.

This article was updated on 17 September