Leadsom quits race for British PM, leaving May unopposed

By Elizabeth Piper and Mark Trevelyan LONDON (Reuters) - Energy minister Andrea Leadsom abruptly withdrew from the contest to succeed David Cameron as prime minister on Monday, leaving her rival Theresa May as the only candidate. The two women had been due to contest a ballot of around 150,000 Conservative party members, with the result to be declared by Sept. 9, but the shock announcement opens the way for May to take over much sooner. Leadsom was barely known to the British public until she em