Work and Pensions Secretary John Hutton has said it would be a "good thing" for the Labour Party if there was a contested election to succeed Tony Blair when he stepped down as leader.
Mr Hutton - who is seen as a possible Blairite challenger to Chancellor Gordon Brown - said the party did not "do coronations".
"I think there is an agreement that having a leadership election would not be a bad thing, could be a good thing for the Labour Party," he said.
"I think that is something Gordon himself has acknowledged would be good for the Labour Party.
"We don't do coronations in the Labour Party. We have elections to choose our leader. And that is how, I think, we should choose our next leader. There should be a proper election."
As delegates were heading to Manchester for Mr Blair's final party conference as leader, Mr Hutton refused to be drawn on claims that he was unnamed minister who warned earlier this month that Mr Brown would be "a disaster" as Prime Minister.
"I don't want to talk about any of that stuff. I have told you what I think about the Chancellor and I have told you that those are not my views about Gordon," he said.
