Penny Mordaunt’s team hijacks Nadhim Zawahi’s hashtag as Chancellor’s fans clicking on NZ4PM.com are taken straight to Team Mordaunt website
- The Chancellor’s would-be website nz4pm.com redirects to Mordaunt’s site
- Penny’s team have been praised for the hilarious ‘pre-emptive cyber-squatting’
- Zawahi’s leadership website is set to launch tomorrow as the Tory race heats up
- Eight hopeful candidates remain ahead of the first round of voting today
Conservative MP Penny Mordaunt’s team has been accused of hijacking Nadhim Zawahi’s hashtag in the race to become Tory leader after a ‘cunning’ website blunder.
Chancellor Zahawi – who is yet to launch his official campaign website – revealed yesterday that his tag line to become Prime Minister is NZ4PM, which fans noted is very similar to Penny Mordaunt’s slogan, PM4PM.
Mordaunt, 49, launched her leadership website earlier this week under the domain pm4pm.com ahead of what’s expected to be a fierce first ballot fight among the final eight candidates.
However, eagle eyed fans of the Chancellor, 55, realised that when they try and head to Zahawi’s would-be website nz4pm.com – they are redirected straight to his competitor’s homepage.
Conservative MP Penny Mordaunt’s team has been accused of hijacking Nadhim Zawahi’s hashtag in the race to become leader of the party after a ‘cunning’ website blunder
Chancellor Zahawi (pictured) – who is yet to launch his official campaign website – revealed yesterday that his tag line to become leader of the Tory party is NZ4PM
After clicking on nz4pm.com, voters are met with a white screen with the words: ‘Vote Penny Mordaunt in this 2022 Conservative election.’
Moments later, users are taken to the Portsmouth North MP’s swanky homepage.
Penny’s election team have been praised for the hilarious ‘pre-emptive cyber-squatting’ in a bid to nab voters trying to get to the Chancellor’s website, ahead of the first round of voting.
Journalist Rob Minto spotted the technical trick, writing: ‘OK, domain wars are ON. Zahawi is using the hashtag NZ4PM, but nz4pm.com redirects to pm4pm.com, Penny Mordaunt’s campaign website!
‘Digital skills: Zahawi 0 – 1 Mordaunt.’
Others called the hack ‘comedy gold’ ahead of the Stratford-upon-Avon MP’s website launching tomorrow, as the Tory leadership competition heats up.
The MPs still in the running are Kemi Badenoch, Suella Braverman, Jeremy Hunt, Penny Mordaunt, Rishi Sunak, Liz Truss, Tom Tugendhat, and Nadhim Zahawi.
The surviving candidates headed straight into a hustings event yesterday evening, facing questions from Tory MPs behind closed doors in Parliament.
Zahawi’s campaign website has not yet been launched – but fans now know that the domain won’t be nz4pm.com as this has seemingly been taken over by his competitor, Mordaunt
One user said: ‘Lesson one of PR in the digital age Register all your domain names BEFORE you publish the logos.’
A second keen onlooker added: ‘This is brilliant. Cyber warfare has broken out in the Conservative leadership contest.’
Another person wrote on Twitter: ‘If you can’t manage to register a domain name how the hell can you aspire to be PM?’
But others, including Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, found the digital trick less amusing.
She wrote: ‘What japes. Meanwhile, in the real world, people are struggling to feed their kids…and the UK government with the power and resources to act is utterly paralysed.’
Zahawi and Mordaunt’s campaign teams have been contacted for comment.
It comes as former health secretary Sajid Javid – who triggered the coup against Boris Johnson by resigning last week – dropped out last night after falling short of the 20 endorsements from Conservative MPs needed to feature in the first round.
It comes as former health secretary Sajid Javid – who triggered the coup against Boris Johnson by resigning last week – dropped out last night after falling short of the 20 endorsements from Conservative MPs needed to feature in the first round.
Home Secretary Priti Patel also withdrew and refused to say who she will be backing, but her exit is a potential fillip to Ms Truss’s campaign.
Surprise candidate Rehman Chishti also conceded defeat shortly before yesterday’s 6pm deadline after securing no supporters.
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