Conservative party co-chairman Grant Shapps registered his personal political campaign website under the alias of his alter ego Michael Green, according to public records.
WHOIS data associated with shapps.com, which appears to have been used exclusively for political campaigning purposes since at least 2001, shows that it was originally registered in the name of "Michael Green" of HowToCorp.
Michael Green was a pseudonym used by Shapps to cover his business interests, which involved selling self-improvement guides such as Stinking Rich 3 and internet marketing software.
Although there is no suggestion Shapps broke any rules, the website registration shows the extent to which the Conservatives' co-chairman used his alternative identity while pursuing his political interests.
There has been renewed scrutiny of Shapps' business activities after it was revealed that he had not actually ended his involvement in HowToCorp after he became an MP in 2005.
His claims to that effect were contradicted by a recording from 2006 uncovered by The Guardian, in which he claims that his products could make their buyers a "ton of cash by Christmas".
A Conservative party spokesperson dismissed the latest development: "The party chairman's business interests were fully and transparently declared to the register of members' interests. He disposed of his entire interest in this family business in 2008, meaning he was no longer a shareholder, nor a director, nor an employee. Any suggestion to the contrary is libellous and malicious and will be treated as such. This has all been exhaustively reported before."