Lucy Powell’s official X account was hacked on Tuesday to promote a fake cryptocurrency.
The leader of the House of Commons’ account posted a tweet claiming the existence of a “House of Commons Coin ($HCC),” described as “a community-driven digital currency bringing people’s power to the blockchain.” The tweet also included the words “Transparency. Participation. Trust.”
A separate post stated that the “official cryptocurrency” had already launched, providing contact details. Both tweets were later deleted. A spokesperson for Powell said: “Lucy Powell’s personal X account was hacked this morning. Immediate steps were taken to secure the account and remove the misleading posts.”
Powell is not the first political figure to fall victim to hackers promoting cryptocurrency. In February, BBC journalist Nick Robinson’s account was hacked, and he was falsely said to be launching a cryptocurrency for the Today program, which he co-hosts.
BBC presenter and former political editor Laura Kuenssberg’s X account was also hacked in January, with the impersonator promoting BBC “memecoins” as “possibly the next big step in digital finance.”
