Mr Corbyn was elected in September amid huge support among grassroots members as he secured nearly 60 per cent of the vote in a leadership election.
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Corbyn divides opinion sharply.
“Are there 500,000 entryists into the Labour Party?”
It looks increasingly like a political battle to the death, with no room for compromise.
Corbyn is confident that he could win an election if nominated because he enjoys widespread grass-roots support.
Another challenger could also emerge after Welsh Labour MP Owen Smith hinted that he might throw his hat in the ring.
Corbyn said he was “disappointed” by Eagle’s challenge and urged her to “think for a moment” about her actions.
“I’m a gay woman – I know the difference between hope and fear”.
Corbyn’s spokesperson said he would remain as leader of the party and would fight any leadership challenge.
The developments come after deputy party leader Tom Watson called off talks aimed at ending the crisis in Labour.
An online petition urging the U.K.to reconsider leaving the European Union has attracted more than 4 million signatures, but German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she doesn’t expect the U.K.to change its plans.
“Tom Watson, our deputy leader who’s got his own mandate, Rosie Winterton, the chief whip, John Cryer, who’s chair of the Parliamentary Labour Party and a friend of Jeremy’s, have all been trying to get him to recognise that he can not continue in the job because he’s lost confidence of the PLP”.
A senior Labour source told the Guardian that at least one Conservative minister and a shadow cabinet minister who resigned last week had been involved in the discussions. “When he’s on that ballot paper he will win”. Eagle has been careful not to directly press for such a move but, given a vague wording in the party rules, it’s a distinct possibility.
“If at the end of the day an election somewhere results in a different leader, so be it”, he said.
And Corbyn said he “probably would” vote in favour of the upcoming motion of contempt for Tony Blair in Parliament over his role in the Iraq war, saying: “Parliament must hold to account, including Tony Blair, those who took the country to war”.
BBC correspondent Iain Watson says Mr Corbyn’s supporters say they have legal advice that he should be on any ballot automatically as the incumbent – but some party officials believe he would have to seek nominations from fellow MPs, as will Ms Eagle, the former shadow business secretary.
Marr then pointed out that Neil Kinnock, Labour leader from 1983 to 1992, was forced to gain MPs’ signatures when he was challenged for the Labour leadership. Polls show that most have done so to support Corbyn.
The 67-year-old said he had never considered stepping down, insisting “there’s no wobbles, there’s no stress, there’s no depression” and that Labour was “going places” under his leadership. The attempt to oust Corbyn was ridiculed as a #headlesschickencoup by some on social media.
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Southampton MP Alan Whitehead has written to party members explaining why he stood down from leader Jeremy Corbyn’s frontbench team.
