Tory's 'Web Guru' Firm Probed By Ad Watchdog

A company founded by Conservative Party chairman Grant Shapps is being investigated by the advertising watchdog after a complaint from a blogger.

The Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) is looking into the firm, which he used to sell advice on how to make money from the internet while posing as a web guru called Michael Green.

Friends of Mr Shapps told Sky News they believe the complaint is politically motivated. They emphasised he has sold his share in the company and has not had any dealings with the firm since 2008.

However, the timing of the complaint is awkward because it comes just days before the Conservative Party conference.

Labour MP Steve McCabe has said Mr Shapps had "multiple personalities and questionable business practices" while Lord Prescott dubbed him "two tags" - a reference to his own nickname of "two Jags".

A Conservative spokeswoman said: "Mr Shapps hasn't been involved with this company for four-and-a-half years.

"These websites are no longer online and any blogger can make a spurious complaint about any website, which then has to be investigated. This is in the hands of the ASA."

Mr Shapps told Sky News last weekend: "Before I went into parliament I used to write business publications, and like many authors wrote under a business name.

"I was always very open about it and I actually went to one conference, where that picture was from, it was sort of an open fact. It was in my biography, it was in the conference programme.

"I have seen some extraordinary headlines though, things about living double lives as though I was Fran?s Mitterrand with his second family and things.

"My wife and I set up the business, we were always very open about it and had a business author's name as many authors do. It was all a long time ago, I've not been involved for a long time."