British Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown's only challenger for the leadership of the Labour Party pulled out of the race on Wednesday, making it almost certain that Brown will become the country's next prime minister.
Brown, an overwhelming favorite to replace Tony Blair, was close to reaching the number of signatures needed to lead the Labour Party without facing a challenge, but that became insignificant when opponent John McDonnell announced he was quitting.
Traditionally in British politics, the leader of the party with the most seats in parliament becomes prime minister.
Labour Party officials had earlier announced that McDonnell was 16 short of the 45 supporters required to start a leadership contest, while Brown needed just one more.
McDonnell concedes
McDonnell conceded defeat, saying that it was "mathematically impossible" for him to gain the number of nominations needed to go forward as a candidate.
His announcement came minutes after backbench lawmaker Andrew MacKinlay's office confirmed that he would be nominating Brown.
Brown's campaign manager, former foreign secretary Jack Straw, said his team was "delighted" that the party was "uniting" behind Brown.
Officials for Brown, 56, said he planned to make a statement later yesterday following a formal announcement by the party.
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