The Labour Party is examining plans to shorten the length of the leadership contest in an effort to spare the party, the country and the candidates a drawn-out process of crowning Britain’s next Prime Minister.

Gordon Brown is already trying to find ways of sustaining momentum through the campaign by hosting a series of personal meetings with voters.

Party sources pointed out yesterday that the NEC could accelerate the process and shorten the election to six weeks, if it wishes.

A shortened election timetable could mean that the new leader is crowned by the party as early as Saturday, June 23, or, possibly, Sunday, June 24. The move would give the Chancellor an extra week in the summer to set out his vision for Britain.

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Mr Brown is expected to formally announce his bid for the leadership tomorrow after discovering whether he will run for Prime Minister unopposed or face a challenge from the left of the party.

Michael Meacher and John McDonnell, the two left-wing MPs who want to stand for the leadership, are both attempting to gain the support of 44 MPs in order to get on the ballot.

They have pledged to pool their backers to maximise the chances of a left-wing challenger, but are understood to be struggling to gather enough signatures. They will announce whether they are likely to be successful at 4pm today.

The Chancellor’s campaign team was falling into place last night, with the appointment of a former MP who began his political career doing Mr Brown’s photocopying, to coordinate the Mr Brown’s leadership campaign. Chris Leslie, who unexpectedly became Parliament’s youngest MP in Shipley in 1997, aged 24, will work under Jack Straw and begin after Tony Blair announces his intention to resign as leader of the Labour Party later today.

Mr Leslie, a former researcher for Mr Brown, will run the logistical side of the campaign. Mr Leslie is married to Nicola Murphy, who works in Mr Brown’s private office.

“I did used to do Gordon Brown’s photocopying. That ages me a bit but a lot of water has passed under the bridge,” he told The Times.

Mr Leslie is expected to be joined by Ed Balls, gatekeeper Sue Nye and Ian Austin, the Dudley North MP. Mr Leslie, who lost his seat in 2005, is taking unpaid leave from the New Local Government network in order to coordinate the campaign.

Mr Brown will make regular trips around the country while the campaign is under way. The Labour Party is organising a series of hustings around the country for the deputy leadership candidates, which Mr Brown is likely to attend even if no challenger emerges.

In addition, the Chancellor’s camp is also planning its own events, modelled on the Let’s Talk series of meetings where senior figures meet directly with groups of people of all political persuasions.

Some members of the party fear that the hustings may not be the best forum for the Chancellor to set out his stall because it may be dominated by bickering among the deputy leadership candidates.

Mr Brown will be able to spend the next few weeks pondering the composition of his government. He wants the Cabinet he picks at the end of June to be largely the one in place when he goes to the country in 2009 or 2010.

Few, if any, ministers will stay in their current jobs and a number will stand down. David Miliband, whom many urged to stand against Mr Brown, has emerged as a leading contender to be either Home Secretary or Foreign Secretary in a Brown government.

Margaret Beckett is expected to be moved from the Foreign Office but to retain a “grandee” role, possibly chairing some Cabinet committees.

Mr Brown will wait to see who is elected deputy leader before making final decisions. Jack Straw is a contender for one of the top three jobs, Chancellor, Home Secretary and Foreign Secretary.

If Mr Straw does not get the Foreign Office, Hilary Benn, the International Development Secretary, is a likely candidate for that post.

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