"When Labour wins elections, it is the people and not the powerful who win."
These words from Jeremy Corbyn sum up the approach he has taken to politics for more than 30 years - but today's result prove it simply wasn't enough to take the party to victory.
The veteran politician spent three decades on the backbenches championing causes he's passionate about, regardless of how controversial they were, campaigning on human rights abroad and anti-austerity issues at home.
Always voting with his conscience rather than the party whip, he earned himself the title of Labour's most rebellious MP and his rise to the top surprised some of the most loyal supporters.
While other politicians made their points in papers and arguments in the Commons, Corbyn took his views to the streets - even getting arrested while protesting against apartheid.
His refusal to bend his beliefs also impacted his personal life, and after they couldn't agree on whether to send their son Ben to a grammar school.
Often described as an unlikely leader, Corbyn admits that he wasn't exactly campaigning to take over the reins from Ed Miliband.
Speaking to the Guardian , he said: "All of us felt the leadership contest was not a good idea – there should have been a policy debate first. There wasn’t, so we decided somebody should put their hat in the ring in order to promote that debate. And, unfortunately, it’s my hat in the ring."
Asked why it was him, he replied: "Well, Diane [Abbott] and John [McDonnell] have done it before, so it was my turn.
"I have never held any appointed office, so in that sense it’s unusual, but if I can promote some causes and debate by doing this, then good. That’s why I’m doing it. At my age I’m not likely to be a long-term contender, am I?"
Born in May 1949, Corbyn attended Adams' Grammar School in Shropshire before moving to London.
He was an activist at a young age, and was in his early 30s when he became MP for Islington North in 1983.
The following year he was one of eight politicians arrested for protesting against apartheid outside London's South African embassy.
One of the most famous photos of Corbyn from his career was taken this day, showing him being taken away by police officers carrying a sign reading: 'Defend the right to demonstrate against Apartheid. Join this picket.'
Since 2001 he's defied Labour whips more than 500 times, according to voting record website The Public Whip.
That includes on some of the most controversial issues of the Blair years, voting against the Iraq war, ID cards and increasing tuition fees .
He criticised Ed Miliband for promising too much austerity before the election, and said there should be more nationalisation and a £10 minimum wage.
While his controversial stance hasn't always made him very popular in the Commons, he's kept his Islington North constituency and in 2015 was the surprise addition to the Labour Leadership election ballot - and he won.
But as his campaign manager MP John McDonnell later revealed, Corbyn had to be forced to run.
Groups of left-wing politicians wanted to pick a candidate - any candidate - to run in the leadership race.
McDonnell said: "And we turned to Jeremy and said 'look' and he said 'alright, I'll have a go'.
"This is the sort of leader we want - where we force them to become leaders."
There were 5 days of begging before they reached 33 nominations - just two short. Five MPs had promised their votes if Corbyn got to 34.
"They were standing there. It got to 10 seconds before the close of nominations and two of them cracked.
"Gordon Marsden and Andrew Smith, I am eternally grateful. I admit it. I was on my knees in tears begging them."
At the end of his first year at the reigns analysis revealed the party’s poll ratings were the worst they had ever had in opposition , trailing behind the Tories by an average of 11 points.
But the 2017 snap election against Theresa May was a huge turning point, and while he didn't win the results were better than anyone predicted .
Labour won 262 seats, nowhere near close enough to secure a majority, but Corbyn still exceeded all expectations
The party started the campaign 20 points behind but ended up winning key symbolic seats in south east England, Wales and Scotland.
Corbyn led his party to top 40% of the vote - just shy of the share it won in 2001 under Tony Blair and declared triumphantly: "Politics isn’t going back into the box where it was before."
Big guns including Nick Clegg, Alex Salmond and rising Tory ministerial star Ben Gummer were humiliated as they lost their seats.
Corbyn also won his own seat with a thundering 33,000-vote majority.
Shortly after he received a rock star welcome when he took to the stage at Glastonbury - drawing a crowd to rival that of Mick Jagger.
Chants of "Corbyn, Corbyn" began as the festival gates opened at Worthy Farm continued throughout the event.
He addressed tens of thousands of music fans on the Saturday afternoon, some wearing Corbyn face masks and T-shirts and other waving banners with his name on them.
He received a huge cheer when he criticised growing inequality between rich and poor, highlighted by the Grenfell Tower fire in the Kensington area of London.
He said: “Is it right that so many people in our country have no home to live in and only a street to sleep on?
“Is it right so many people are frightened of where they live at the moment having seen the horrors of Grenfell Tower?
"Is it right that so many people live in such poverty in a society which has such riches? No it obviously isn’t.”
In recent months Corbyn has been heavily criticised for the party's handling of anti-Semitism cases under his leadership.
The Chief Rabbi accused him of being "unfit" to be PM, warning that the “overwhelming majority” of British Jews are “gripped by anxiety” over the outcome of the election.
He insisted he has "developed a much stronger process" and had sanctioned and removed members who have been anti-Semitic.
Mr Corbyn also denied that the blight increased after he took over the party, saying: "It didn't rise after I became leader.
"Anti-Semitism is there in society, there are a very, very small number of people in the Labour Party that have been sanctioned as a result about their anti-Semitic behaviour."
Days later during an interview on This Morning, he said he is "obviously I'm very sorry for everything that's happened ".
He added: "But I want to make this clear. I am dealing with it. I have dealt with it. Other parties are also affected by anti-Semitism."
Corbyn has paid a price for his passion and dedication to the causes he cares about, particularly in his personal life.
He married his first wife, fellow Labour councillor and university lecturer Jane Chapman, in 1974.
The pair divorced just five years later, with her claiming his "joyless" approach to life wrecked their marriage and saying he cared more about campaigning than her needs.
She also said she would often find him eating cold baked beans straight from the tin as he simply didn't care about food.
After their marriage ended Corbyn had a year-long relationship with his Labour colleague Diane Abbott in 1979.
At the time, 26-year-old Diane was was working as a race relations officer for the National Council of Civil Liberties.
Their relationship reportedly broke down for the same reason his first marriage fell apart - politics always came first.
While their romantic relationship didn't last long, they remain close friends and a professional alliance.
Corbyn has three sons with his third wife Claudia Bracchitta, but they split over a disagreement about the boys' education in 1999.
She wanted Ben, their eldest, to attend a grammar but the politician didn't agree as it would go against his politics - despite attending one himself.
She refused to send Benjamin to an inner-city comprehensive and eventually the marriage couldn't stand the strain.
The MP's ex-wife won the debate, with Benjamin going to Queen Elizabeth's grammar school in Barnet - nine miles from their home in Islington.
Speaking at the time, Claudia said: "I am concerned Jeremy has been portrayed as a hard-left MP who couldn't care about his children, which is absolutely not the truth. I was put across as the pushy parent who wanted a grammar school place for her son and nothing else.
"It isn't a story about making a choice but about having no choice. I couldn't send Ben to a school where I knew he wouldn't be happy.
"Whereas Jeremy was able to make one sort of decision, I wasn't. It's a position you are pushed into rather than one you choose."
Corbyn has been married to Laura Alvarez since 2012, however his third wife tends to avoid the spotlight wherever possible.
