North Somerset MP Dr Liam Fox has ruled himself out of the Conservative leadership race and is backing a Cabinet colleague to become the new Prime Minister.
The Secretary for International Trade has come out in favour of Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt.
The backing has surprised some, with Dr Fox a long-term Brexit supporter, while Mr Hunt campaigned to remain within the European Union in 2016.
Theresa May announced a fortnight ago she would step down having failed to deliver an acceptable Brexit deal. A dozen candidates have put their name forward, including Michael Gove, Andrea Leadsom and Boris Johnson.
The list will be whittled down to two by Conservative MPs before the party membership decides who will lead the group.
Dr Fox said in a BBC interview: "In this contest, I will be backing my friend Jeremy Hunt who is an impressive Foreign Secretary, who is an entrepreneur by background, where deal-making is part of his DNA."
Weston MP John Penrose is also backing Mr Hunt's leadership tilt.
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