A group of parliamentarians is ready to oust the British Prime Minister, according to media reports.

Reuters A group of 40 British Conservative Party MPs, the party of Prime Minister Theresa May, have agreed to sign a letter of no confidence against the Prime Minister, the Sunday Times reported.

The number represents just eight fewer MPs than needed to trigger a leadership contest within the party, a mechanism through which May could be removed from the position of Prime Minister and replaced by another Conservative.

May has struggled to maintain her authority over the party since calling a snap election for June 8, believing she would win by a large margin, but which instead resulted in her losing her majority in Parliament.

Divided over how to withdraw the United Kingdom from the European Union and affected by several scandals involving ministers, May's government has failed to impose control in a chaotic political situation that is weakening the British government in the Brexit negotiations.

A previous attempt to remove May from power after a disastrous speech at the party's annual conference failed to progress, but many Conservatives remain dissatisfied with the Prime Minister's performance, and mentions of a leadership contest have not disappeared.

May has lost two ministers in recent weeks: Michael Fallon resigned as Secretary of Defense after becoming embroiled in a widespread sexual harassment scandal in Parliament, while Priti Patel resigned after it was discovered that she had held secret meetings with senior Israeli officials.

If a leadership contest were to materialize, and a competitor were to defeat May, they would assume the leadership of the Conservative Party and become Prime Minister. A national election is not required for this to happen.