An Ulster Unionist minister in the Stormont executive tonight confirmed he is seeking his party's nomination to contest a Westminster seat currently held by an anti-agreement UUP representative.
Culture minister Michael McGimpsey announced his ambition to stand in South Belfast, a constituency whose MP, the Rev Martin Smyth, has been among party leader David Trimble's fiercest critics.
Mr McGimpsey, a firm supporter of the Belfast Agreement, was tonight giving little away other than to confirm his intention to stand in Friday night's selection meeting.
"I have allowed my name to go forward. Other than that I have nothing further to add," he said.
Mr Smyth's opposition to Mr Trimble's strategy of attempting to secure IRA disarmament while sitting in the executive with Sinn Féin ministers led him to mount an unsuccessful leadership challenge last year.
Tonight he issued a statement welcoming Mr McGimpsey's decision to stand.
"I think it is extremely healthy for the UUP members of South Belfast to be given a choice," he said.
"I am confident that I can win their support."
Mr Smyth, 69, won the South Belfast seat in 1982 and currently enjoys a majority of almost 5,000.
In the 1997 General Election he polled 14,201 against Alasdair McDonnell of the nationalist SDLP, who received 9,601 voted.
But the gap between the UUP and SDLP candidates was closer in the 1998 elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly - a contest Mr Smyth was unable to take part in because of party rules barring MPs from sitting at Stormont.
Ulster Unionist candidates totalled 9,533 first preference votes against 8,838 recorded for the SDLP.
Mr McDonnell has already announced he is to seek his party's nomination for the General Election while Sean Hayes has been confirmed as the Sinn Féin candidate.
PA