London, July 20 (IANS) Labour lawmaker Angela Eagle announced on Tuesday that she was dropping out of the race against Jeremy Corbyn for leadership of Britain's main opposition party.
Eagle called for internal elections on July 11, when she presented the support from 51 members of her Parliament group to defy the current leader, Efe news reported.
The only candidate against Corbyn is now former opposition Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Owen Smith, whom Eagle said she would back "with all her might and enthusiasm".
Eagle's decision comes after Smith secured 90 nominations in a vote by the Labour Party parliamentary group that was to select a single candidate to run against Corbyn.
Eagle announced her retirement from the leadership contest before her vote count was officially released.
In September 2016, registered Labour Party members are due to head to the polls to vote for either Corbyn or Smith to be the next party leader.
Smith said that he would get the Labour Party back into power by winning back the "trust of the British people".
Corbyn has struggled to secure full support from his party's lawmakers in Parliament since he assumed office in Sept 2015.
He was widely criticised by his party members of leading a weak "remain" campaign in the lead-up to Britain's referendum on its membership in the European Union.
Amid the fallout of Brexit, 23 of his 31 cabinet politicians resigned in a demonstration of no confidence.
