Mystery candidate 'Michael Green' standing against Grant Shapps

A candidate is to stand against Grant Shapps in his constituency using the pen name the Conservative Chairman used for his second job.

The candidate, who reportedly changed their name to Michael Green by deed poll, registered to stand as a candidate in Grant Shapps' constituency Welwyn Hatfield in Hertfordshire just before yesterday's 4pm deadline.

The election rival has not yet been identified formally but is reported to be someone with "recognition factor" according to Political Scrapbook editor Laurence Durnan who is acting as agent.

Mr Durnan said that he collected 15 signatures supporting the candidate in Hatfield Town Centre yesterday and registered Michael Green just before the deadline.

He said the campaign is light-hearted but also is making a satirical point about the "honesty displayed by Mr Shapps".

A website for the campaign appealing for supporters to donate to the £500 election deposit says that every pound will be matched by a 'mystery donor' and promises supporters an official campaign rosette.

The website reads: "This is not a joke. Okay. It is a joke, but I am still taking on Shapps in his own back yard."

Conservative Party chairman Grant Shapps admitted last month that he did work as a web marketer under the alias Michael Green after entering Parliament.

He came under fire over revelations about working under the pseudonym despite his claims in a radio interview that he never had a "second job" while serving as an MP.