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The Labour Party鈥檚 new leader (Image: Mark Thomas/REX Shutterstock)

He wants Charles Darwin鈥檚 birthday to be a public holiday. And he accepts that human activity is warming up the planet. But where does Jeremy Corbyn, voted the leader of Britain鈥檚 opposition Labour Party on 12 September, stand on mainstream political issues ?

Corbyn certainly seems on message as far as climate change is concerned. In 2010, he signed an early day motion 鈥� a form of petition regularly used in Parliament to gauge opinion on key issues 鈥� recognising that . Likewise he has pressed the current government to double its targets for .

The new Labour leader鈥檚 remarks on potentially reopening coal mines got a lot of coverage. : 鈥淚f there鈥檚 to be substantial coal fire generation it鈥檚 got to be clean burn technology, it鈥檚 got to have carbon filters on it, it鈥檚 got to be carbon neutral.鈥� Corbyn has said he wants to nationalise Britain鈥檚 energy supplies, a goal that according to some estimates . As a member of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament since 1966, his stand on civil nuclear power is unclear.

Corbyn鈥檚 backing for the UK National Health Service to remain publically funded , but he has raised scientific eyebrows by appearing to offer support for homeopathy, despite the lack of scientific proof that it works. In one infamous tweet in 2011, Corbyn said he believed homeopathy 鈥渨orks for some people鈥� and compliments conventional medicine, as 鈥渢hey both come from organic matter鈥�.

I believe that homeo-meds works for some ppl and that it compliments 鈥榗onvential鈥� meds. they both come from organic matter鈥�

鈥� Jeremy Corbyn MP (@jeremycorbyn)

Corbyn has also signed various early day motions .

Science is vital

In a novel move, . In February he spoke in parliament on why he thought mental health was such an important issue.

Last month, Corbyn affirmed his backing for scientific and technological research in . 鈥淭he UK has produced some wonderful scientists and engineers 鈥� real innovators in their fields, but too often we do not have the supportive infrastructure to develop their ideas here,鈥� he said. 鈥淥nly a strategic state that supports innovation can close this infrastructure deficit holding the UK back.鈥�

Corbyn also backed a calling for the reversal of cuts to the science budget.

But some commentators believe that other policies Corbyn has could work against this, such as his pledge to reduce tuition fees for students, currently around 拢9000 per year for each student. Kieron Flanagan, a lecturer in science and technology policy at Manchester Business School, says that the fees have brought valuable income to universities that they can spend on research, but that this would disappear if the fees were scrapped. 鈥淲ould it be replaced by an equivalent amount from central government funds?鈥� asks Flanagan.