Jeremy Corbyn win a 'hand grenade' for British politics

A senior Welsh Labour MP has described Jeremy Corbyn's victory in the party's leadership contest as a hand grenade going off in British politics.

Caerphilly MP Wayne David, who was an advisor to former leader Ed Miliband, also called for unity among Labour MPs in the wake of Saturday's result.

Veteran left-winger Mr Corbyn - who started off as rank outsider - won by a landslide over his three rivals.

The Tories said the win was bad for Labour and the UK.

Speaking on BBC Radio Wales' Sunday Supplement, Mr David, who despite supporting Andy Burnham, welcomed Mr Corbyn.

"It's a vote for a different kind of politics, something entirely new, something entirely inventive," he said.

'Unexpected'

"As someone said to me, it's like throwing a hand grenade into the political system."

Newport West Labour MP Paul Flynn voted for Liz Kendall but said: "Politics has been comatose for a long time and suddenly it's come back to life again. We face the excitement of the unexpected."

As the dust began to settle on the leadership result, Corbyn supporter and former Welsh government minister John Griffiths called on the party in Wales to respond by hitting the ground running in time for next year's assembly election.

"I do believe there is a challenge now for the Labour party in Wales to understand that we have a new radical position as far as the UK Labour party is concerned and that needs to be reflected in Wales," he told the programme.

"We do need a radical manifesto for those Welsh assembly elections next May."

But a political expert has claimed Mr Corbyn's win may hinder Labour at the elections because the Tories will hope it will "make things easier for them" in key marginal seats.

'Discipline evaporated'

Welsh Labour holds 30 of the 60 assembly seats and will be targeting a clearer majority in the 2016 election as the party defends its record in office.

Labour peer Eluned Morgan, who is standing in the assembly election and backed Yvette Cooper, expressed concern about the impact of Mr Corbyn's leadership in the marginal seats where Labour will be up against the Conservatives.

She said: "In the past there has been a discipline, an understanding that if we want to win elections you have to win the marginal seats which are Tory-Labour constituencies and that discipline has evaporated for now.

"Let us have a look at what happens and where we go next but there is an opportunity also to reach out to the social excluded, people who do not vote, that is the real opportunity here."

Meanwhile, Tory peer Lord Bourne said the leadership result was not a chance to celebrate.

He said: "A Jeremy Corbyn leadership is not just bad for the Labour Party, I think it's bad for the country.

"We do need an effective opposition and we do need opposition to put forward a platform that is at least credible."