Everything you need to know about Jeremy Corbyn’s win including the shadow cabinet appointments, resignations, policies and response
Jeremy Corbyn's first day as Labour leader has thrown the party into disarray amid a slew of resignations from some of the party's foremost MPs and confusion over exactly what his policies will be.
Corbyn's acceptance speech, described by some as rambling, included thanks to unions such as RMT and the RBU, saying Labour was “a party organically linked together; the unions and party membership”. He slammed the trade union bill as an attempt to “shackle” the workers.
But as the dust settled, Corbyn's attempts to put together a shadow cabinet apparently resembled an episode from The Thick of It.
John McDonnell, the man, according to Who's Who, counts “fermenting [sic] the overthrow of capitalism” among his interests, has been made shadow chancellor.
Leadership rival Andy Burnham may have lost the hotseat to what appeared a rank outsider three months ago, but he has been rewarded with his pragmatic support by being made shadow home secretary.
https://twitter.com/andyburnhammp/status/642658535520739328
Hilary Benn, son of hard left Tony Benn, will stay on as shadow foreign secretary while Lewisham MP Heidi Alexander has been handed the role of shadow health secretary.
https://twitter.com/hilarybennmp/status/642651850936852480
Angela Eagle has been made shadow business secretary, while Seema Malhotra is shadow chief secretary to the Treasury. Maria Eagle is shadow defence secretary.
Rosie Winterton is chief whip, while Lucy Powell – who two months ago made it clear she had never met Corbyn – is shadow education secretary. Owen Smith has been made work and pensions secretary.
The rest of the shadow cabinet looks like this:
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: shadow justice secretary; Jon Trickett: shadow communities and local government secretary; Lisa Nandy: shadow energy and climate change secretary; Chris Bryant: shadow leader of the House of Commons; Lilian Greenwood: shadow transport secretary; Diane Abbott: shadow international development secretary; Gloria De Piero: shadow minister for young people and voter registration; Michael Dugher: shadow culture, media and sport minister; Kerry McCarthy: shadow environment secretary; Kate Green: shadow women and equalities secretary;
Vernon Coaker: shadow secretary of state for Northern Ireland; Ian Murray: shadow secretary of state for Scotland; Nia Griffith: shadow secretary of state for Wales; Luciana Berger: shadow mental health secretary; Baroness Smith of Basildon: shadow leader of the House of Lords; Lord Bassam of Brighton: Lords chief whip; Catherine McKinnell: shadow attorney general; Jonathan Ashworth: shadow minister without portfolio; John Healey: shadow minister for housing and planning.
Corbyn has been slammed for the number of women in senior shadow cabinet positions; however he has insisted women will represent half of the total.
Outgoing shadow health minister Jamie Reed did not mince his words in his resignation letter, saying Corbyn's opposition to a number of policies including on climate change and nuclear non-proliferation “is poorly informed and fundamentally wrong”.
Party members were suffering from “the desperation of defeat”, he added.
Also out of Labour's circle of trust is shadow business secretary Chuka Umunna, who said he was leaving the shadow cabinet “ by mutual consent”.
“Whilst there is much on which Jeremy and I agree, there are a number of key points of difference on policy which I believe it would be dishonest to deny exist,” he said.
“Given these differences, not least on the European referendum, I would find it difficult to abide by the collective responsibility that comes with serving in the shadow cabinet. That is why Jeremy and I have agreed I can more effectively support his leadership from the backbenches. In particular, it is my view that we should support the UK remaining a member of the EU… Jeremy has made it clear to me that he does not wholeheartedly share this view.”
Deputy leader contender Caroline Flint, who was pipped to the post by Tom Watson, has also joined the exodus.
Flint, who was shadow secretary for energy and climate change, said: "Returning to the backbenches will also allow me to spend more time helping Labour reach out to those voters who turned away from us, but who share many of our values. After months of talking to Labour members and supporters, we now have to begin a wider conversation with the British public."
Shadow work and pensions secretary Rachel Reeves has said she won't return to the front bench following maternity leave. Ed Miliband, Tristram Hunt, Yvette Cooper, Liz Kendall and Emma Reynolds also ruled themselves out of a job in Corbyn's cabinet.
And there is already some confusion about Corbyn's policies.
Unions and anti-austerity groups will be hoping for Corbyn to push for a Brexit, but Reuters reported a foreign affairs spokesman this morning saying Labour would “campaign for Britain to stay inside the EU, no matter what the circumstances”.
Watch Corbyn's acceptance speech in full below.