A new Tory leader and Prime Minister should be in place by the end of July, the Conservative party said today.
Senior figures want the two-stage process of choosing Theresa May's successor finished by the time Parliament rises for its summer recess.
No firm date has been set for that yet but authorities are believed to favour July 26 to start their long holiday.
In a joint statement today, party chairman Brandon Lewis and two senior backbench figures Dame Cheryl Gillan and Charles Walker, setting out how the next few weeks should pan out.
The Prime Minister announced her departure in an emotional statement on the steps of Downing Street after meeting Tory backbench chief Sir Graham Brady and giving the news to her staff behind closed doors.
She broke down in tears today as she read the last rites on her troubled premiership after bowing to a massive Tory mutiny over her Brexit plans.
She will now oversee a state visit from US president Donald Trump at the start of June before making way.
Here we look at what will happen in the next few weeks and months:
Mrs May broke down as she announced today that she would step down at Tory leader on June 7 to make way for a successor who will have to try to unit the party
Her voice cracking, Mrs May said it had been the 'honour of my life' to be PM, and she hoped she would not be the last woman to lead the country
June-July - Tory leadership contest
The battle to succeed Mrs May as Tory leader should formally kick off early in June.
Nominations to stand will close in the week beginning June 10 before it is put to several rounds of votes.
Any MP - apart from the ousted leader - is eligible to stand in the subsequent contest as long as they get two MPs to nominate them.
The final two candidates are then offered to the Tory membership at large for an election.
In the statement Mr Lewis said: 'Successive rounds of voting will take place until a final choice of candidates to put to a vote of all party members is determined.
'We expect that process to be concluded by the end of June, allowing for a series of hustings around the UK for members to meet and question the candidates, then cast their votes in time for the result to be announced before Parliament rises for the summer.'
Mr Johnson is considered the front runner to take the top job, but historically such contests have thrown up surprises.
Today he said that Mrs May had given a 'dignified' speech.
'Thank you for your stoical service to our country and the Conservative Party,' he said.
'It is now time to follow her urgings: to come together and deliver Brexit.'
But there is a 'stop Boris' campaign among MPs to stop him taking over, which means it may be left to someone else to deal with Brexit.
Boris Johnson (pictured at a business conference in Manchester last week) is considered the front runner to succeed Mrs May, but historically Tory contests have thrown up surprises
Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt (left with wife Lucia) and ex-Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab (right with wife Erika) are both believed to be planning to run for Tory leader
September 29-October 2 - Conservative Party conference
The Tory gathering in Manchester this autumn will be the natural time for a new leader to take the stage and try to unite the fractured party.
Assuming no way has been found to force a Withdrawal Agreement through Parliament by this point, they will need to spell out how they intend to approach the Brexit process.
Victory for a harder-line Brexiteer such as Mr Johnson could see the party vow to leave the EU in a matter of weeks, with or without a deal.
They will also need to consider whether such a policy can be pushed through the Commons with the current batch of MPs - or whether a general election or another referendum has become unavoidable.
There is also the matter of a 'stop Boris' campaign among MPs to stop him taking over, which means it may be left to someone else to deal with Brexit.
October 31 - the new Brexit date
The Brexit extension Mrs May thrashed out with the EU expires on October 31.
Unless another postponement can be agreed, the UK is still scheduled to leave the bloc at this point.
MPs have previously shown a willingness to do anything possible to avoid crashing out of the EU without a deal.
However, the calculation for many Tory MPs might be changed by the mounting threat from the Brexit Party.
With EU leaders such as France's Emmanuel Macron increasingly frustrated by the Brexit limbo, the Commons could be forced into a straight choice between revoking Article 50 - which would cancel the process altogether - or no-deal Brexit.
Some hardline Brexiteers including leadership candidates Esther McVey and Andrea Leadsom have in recent days suggested that we should leave at this point with or without a deal, instead of seeking a further extension.
WHAT HAPPENED TODAY?
The Prime Minister held the last in a series of meeting with Sir Graham Brady, the chairman of the 1922 Committee, whose membership is made up of all backbench Tory MPs.
She was presented with a simple choice by the Altrincham and Sale West MP - announce her resignation or be removed.
She then came out onto Downing Street and, in front of a phalanx of cameras, announced she would step down as leader on June 7.
WHEN WILL SHE LEAVE?
Despite today's showpiece announcement Mrs May will be leader for another
