ANGELA EAGLE was branded the “Empire Strikes Back” candidate yesterday in the Labour leadership election she’s unleashed by formally challenging Jeremy Corbyn.

Shadow health secretary Diane Abbott put Ms Eagle to the lightsabre, saying her record of voting for the Iraq war and tuition fees proves that she is on the dark side.

ITV’s Good Morning Britain show had asked how Ms Eagle could be the Blairites’ “new hope” after failing to win the deputy leadership last summer.