The online encylopedia Wikipedia has blocked a user account on suspicions that it is being used by the Conservative party chairman, Grant Shapps or someone acting on his behalf.
The account has been sued to edit his own page along with the entries of Tory rivals and political opponents.
Wikipedia have launched an investigation into whether Mr Shapps, or someone acting on his behalf, used the account as a "sockpuppet" to make the changes.
The online encyclopedia, where pages are edited and created by readers, tracked the changes made by a user called "Contribsx" who has removed references on Mr Shapps' Wikipedia page about the Tory chairman's business activities as Michael Green, the self-styled millionaire web marketer.
About a third of the contributions made by this user were to Mr Shapps' own entry while the rest are made up largely of unflattering changes to the online pages to senior political figures - including prominent figures in the Tory party such as Philip Hammond, Justine Greening and Lynton Crosby.
Wikipedia says that "sock-puppetry" - creating a fake online identity "for an improper purpose, such as to mislead other editors, disrupt discussions, distort consensus or avoid sanctions" - is not permitted.
It added that it had banned Contribsx and said any evidence of future attempts to cover the user's tracks would be investigated immediately.
The site's administrators, selected Wikipedia volunteers who patrol the site, said they "believe that the account Contribsx is a sockpuppet of Grant Shapps' previous accounts on Wikipedia ... and based on the evidence the account is either run by Shapps directly or being run by someone else - an assistant or a PR agency - but under his clear direction."
A spokesman for the Conservative Party said: "This story is completely false and defamatory. It is nonsense from start to finish."
When Mr Shapps was sent a detailed exposition of the changes made by Contribsx - including posts critical of cabinet colleagues such as George Osborne - the Tory chairman did not respond.
In 2012, Mr Shapps was involved in controversy over his use of the pen name Michael Green. It was used to products to help people become wealthy. The ficticious name resurfaced recently when it was claimed Mr Shapps had continued to use it, since being elected as an MP. He firmly denied the allegation.
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