Conservative rising star admits she 'hacked' into Labour MP website to spread Tory propaganda

Emilio Casalicchio

A Conservative rising star has admitted "hacking" into the website of a Labour opponent to alter its content in favour of the Tories.



Newly appointed Tory vice-chair Kemi Badenoch made the startling admission when asked what was the “naughtiest” thing she had ever done.

Hacking into websites is a criminal offence which can carry a prison sentence of up to two years - but the Tories insisted guessing a password did not constitute “real hacking”.

In an interview with online channel Core Politics - since obtained by the Mail on Sunday - Ms Badenoch said she “hacked into a Labour MP’s website” a decade ago when she was 28-years-old.

She added: “I changed all the stuff in there to say nice things about the Tories.” But she declined to name the Labour MP.

Last night Ms Badenoch - who was elected to the Commons just last year - told the Mail on Sunday: “This was a foolish prank over a decade ago, for which I apologise.”

A Tory HQ source told the paper it was a case of “youthful exuberance” which occurred before Ms Badenoch was a candidate and did not constitute a serious offence.

The paper adds that Tory chairman Brandon Lewis is standing full square behind the Saffron Walden MP.

Last year she was appointed Tory vice chair for selecting candidates and spoke ahead of Theresa May at the Conservative conference in a segment to showcase the party’s rising stars.