Tory leadership hopefuls will need to secure 100 MP backers by Monday to get on the ballot paper to succeed Liz Truss.
Tory chairman Sir Jake Berry and 1922 Committee chairman Sir Graham Brady confirmed the details to reporters in Westminster as they fired the starting gun on the second Tory leadership contest in three months.
Nominations will close at 2pm on Monday, with MPs balloted that day to whittle down the field. Only three candidates will be able to hit the 100-MP threshold, as there are only 357 Conservative parliamentarians.
