Jeremy Hunt has admitted he wants fox hunting legalised.
The Conservative leadership hopeful said a parliamentary vote would be in the next Tory manifesto.
He told the Daily Telegraph the activity was "part of our heritage".
The move comes as ballot papers for the Conservative leadership contest between Mr Hunt and Boris Johnson begin to be sent to the party membership.
He follows in the footsteps of David Cameron and Theresa May who also supported a vote on the controversial issue.
Mr Hunt said: "I don't hunt myself. It's not particularly my thing.
"Look, I think we have to recognise it's part of the countryside.
"And I think we have to recognise that in terms of the balance of the countryside it's part of our heritage.
"So personally I'm happy for people to do it."
The ban on hunting with dogs came into force in England and Wales on February 18 2005, a culmination of years of political wrangling and fighting in fields and woods up and down the land.
The legislation was pushed through by Labour backbenchers in November 2004 and brought about a total ban on hunting with dogs, outlawing fox-hunting, deer-hunting and hare-coursing with dogs.
The League Against Cruel Sports said the pledge showed Mr Hunt was "out of touch with public opinion".
They added: "The last time a politician said we should bring back hunting - Theresa May in the 2017 General Election - she was punished in the polling booths. Nothing has changed."
Ian Lavery, Labour Party chairman, said: "This Tory leadership race is going from bad to worse.
"We've had Johnson's tax cuts for the wealthy, a race to the bottom on no-deal Brexit, and now a pledge to bring back this barbaric practice that Labour had proudly banned."
The Mirror reports Jeremy Corbyn said: "Labour proudly banned this barbaric practice. This Tory leadership race is going from bad to worse."
