Britain's opposition Labour Party has ruled that its leader Jeremy Corbyn has the automatic right to stand in a new leadership contest, setting the stage for a struggle between the veteran socialist's supporters in the country and party MPs who want to oust him.
The turmoil engulfing the 116-year-old party, which governed Britain for 13 years until 2010 under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, comes as the country's political landscape is changing fast following a June 23 vote to leave the European Union.
While the ruling Conservative Party has quickly appointed a new leader, Theresa May, to take over from Prime Minister David Cameron on Wednesday and pilot the "Brexit" process, Labour's left-wing leadership is locked in a bitter internal power struggle with its more moderate MPs.
As Labour looks to define its priorities for the upcoming Brexit negotiations, party lawmaker Angela Eagle has challenged Corbyn to a leadership contest, saying he has failed to connect with voters and is not capable of winning a national election.
But Corbyn's chances of holding on to control won a boost when Labour's National Executive Committee (NEC) on Tuesday ruled that he should automatically appear on the ballot paper rather than have to find 51 MPs to nominate him, a task that he would struggle to achieve.
Corbyn retains strong support among the party's more left-leaning rank-and-file members, meaning that he could hold on to power and prolong the stand-off with MPs.
The NEC ruling could still trigger a legal challenge from opponents who insist he too should have to garner support from 51 MPs, but Corbyn played down such a possibility.
"There's been a very long legal discussion this afternoon, there were very well qualified lawyers on hand to advise, so I think we are fine," he told reporters after the NEC decision.
Eagle said she was pleased the NEC had reached a decision.
"I welcome the contest ahead," she said on Twitter. "And I am determined to win it."
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