Updated at 6.30pm

ANGELA EAGLE, THE UK Labour MP who had been challenging Jeremy Corbyn for leadership of the party, has dropped out of the race.

It leaves Owen Smith as the only challenger in the leadership contest.

Eagle made the decision after collecting fewer nominations than Smith from MPs and MEPs in the party, according to the Guardian.

The paper reports that Eagle picked up 72 nominations, while Smith got 90.

The two MPs, both former shadow ministers, had been under pressure to agree on just one candidate to take on Corbyn.

A recent poll showed that Corbyn, who was elected to the role last year with the support of grassroots members, remains on course to be reelected as leader, despite his ongoing woes. The Times/YouGov poll of Labour members found he would beat either Eagle or Smith by more than 30 points.

The current leadership crisis in the UK’s main opposition party began in the immediate aftermath of the Brexit referendum.

Corbyn was faced with a raft of resignations by senior spokespeople, amid accusations from the parliamentary party that he had put in a lacklustre performance campaigning for a Remain result.

He was heavily defeated in a vote of no confidence the following week.

Read: Wait, what exactly is happening with Jeremy Corbyn and Labour right now?