Matt Hancock is backing Rishi Sunak to be the next prime minister.

The West Suffolk MP tweeted a video in support of the former chancellor ahead of the first hustings on Tuesday evening.

He said: "I'm voting for Rishi Sunak to be the next prime minister. I know all of the candidates and I think that Rishi Sunak is the best placed out of all of them to take this country through difficult times.

"I've seen him working up close in some of the most difficult and challenging circumstances this country has faced in peacetime, and I know that he's got the character, he's got the experience and he's got the plan to get us through."

He is the latest Suffolk MP to announce who they will be supporting in the Conservative leadership contest that was triggered when Boris Johnson resigned last week.

Previously, Suffolk Coastal MP Therese Coffey announced she was backing Liz Truss, Ipswich MP Tom Hunt endorsed Kemi Badenoch, and South Suffolk MP James Cartlidge said he was supporting Rishi Sunak, while Central Suffolk and North Ipswich MP Dan Poulter backed Jeremy Hunt.

Jo Churchill and Peter Aldous are the only Suffolk MPs who have not publicly announced who they are backing.

East Anglian Daily Times: Bury St Edmunds MP Jo ChurchillBury St Edmunds MP Jo Churchill (Image: Richard Townshend Photography)

Ms Churchill said: "I haven’t declared for a candidate and may choose not to do so publicly.

"We have a lot of talent in the party. I see my job as to listen and work to ensure the final two candidates offer the country the best of that talent to lead us through these challenging times.

"I am happy as ever to receive the opinions and reflections of constituents."

Mr Aldous is expected to announce who he is supporting on Wednesday morning.

East Anglian Daily Times: Waveney MP Peter AldousWaveney MP Peter Aldous (Image: House of Commons)

He said: "It's a major decision for us and I'm just taking what little time I've got to mull over it."

He added that he would consider the candidate's ability to "address the cost-of-living crisis", "put into practice the levelling up agenda", "maximise the opportunities" from Brexit, work well with the private sector, and to "instil an ethos of prosperity, probity and integrity".