A Conservative MP who has been tipped as a potential future prime minister has admitted “hacking” into a Labour opponent’s website.
Kemi Badenoch, 38, admitted changing the content of the victim’s website to say “nice things about Tories” during an interview with Core Politics.
Ms Badenoch, who was appointed as the Conservative Party’s vice-chairman for candidates in January, has apologised for the incident, which happened 10 years ago.
Asked what the “naughtiest” thing she had ever done was, the MP for Saffron Walden, in Essex, told Core Politics: “About 10 years ago I hacked into ... a Labour MP’s website and I changed all the stuff in there to say nice things about Tories.”
The event is likely to embarrass Downing Street, as Ms Badenoch is seen as a rising star in the Conservative Party.
Prime minister Theresa May has tasked her with sourcing a range of talented MPs from non-traditional backgrounds, with a particular focus on ethnic-minority candidates and women.
Ms Badenoch did not reveal the identity of the MP in the clip obtained by the Mail on Sunday.
She told the paper: “This was a foolish prank over a decade ago, for which I apologise.”
It is understood it involved guessing a password to access the website.
Conservative sources stressed Ms Badenoch was not a candidate or professionally connected to the party at the time.
Ms Badenoch was appointed as MP for Saffron Walden, Essex, after last year’s general election, with a majority of nearly 25,000.
She has previously cited Margaret Thatcher as her political hero and backed Brexit in her maiden House of Commons’ speech.
During her address she described Brexit as “the greatest-ever vote of confidence in the project of the United Kingdom”.
