The 1922 Committee, a group of Conservative MPS in the House of Commons, has published a timetable for choosing a new leader and prime minister of the Conservative Party, the Guardian reported Monday.

In a bid to speed up the election process, the 1922 Committee has increased the number of Conservative MP supporters required for each candidate from at least eight to at least 20, the report said. Candidates will be disqualified if they fail to secure enough supporters by 18:00 local time on December 12.

A candidate must secure the support of at least 30 Conservative MPS in the first round of voting to go on to the next round, or be eliminated. Several rounds of elimination voting will be held for the remaining candidates starting From Thursday (local time) until two candidates remain. All Conservatives will then vote by post for a new party leader, who will also be prime minister. The winner is expected to be announced on September 5.

So far, 11 Conservatives have declared their candidacy for prime minister, with former chancellor Of the exchequer David Sunak and former defense minister Penny Mordaunt gathering enough support to be considered strong favourites, the Guardian said. Besides the two men, the incumbent Foreign secretary, Ms Truss, and the former equalities minister, Kemi Badnoch, who have already announced their candidacy, are also favoured.

Johnson announced on July 7 that he was stepping down as leader of the Conservative Party and prime minister, but would stay on until a new leader is chosen. Brady, chairman of the 1922 Committee, confirmed Johnson would stay on until a successor is chosen in September, The Daily Telegraph reported. Under the rules, Johnson is not allowed to run in this election, but can run in subsequent elections.