Former neo-Nazi Joshua Bonehill-Paine has withdrawn his candidacy for next year’s local elections after intense criticism over his selection as a Conservative Party candidate, while accepting a new role advising the party on tackling extremism.
Bonehill-Paine had been selected to contest the newly created Somerset Council seat of Crewkerne South, but his nomination sparked widespread political and public backlash because of his criminal convictions for antisemitic offences and the racially aggravated harassment of former Labour MP Luciana Berger.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch initially defended the decision to approve Bonehill-Paine as a candidate, arguing that he had been rehabilitated and that the party believed in giving people a second chance after they had changed their lives.
However, Bonehill-Paine announced on social media that he was stepping aside from the election campaign, saying his candidacy had become a distraction that would shift attention away from local issues and his work opposing extremism.
Instead, he said he had accepted a position with the Conservative Party’s Culture and Integration Commission, where he will advise on preventing the radicalisation of young men and support initiatives aimed at tackling extremism and antisemitism.
Bonehill-Paine was sentenced to three years in prison in 2015 after posting antisemitic material linked to a planned neo-Nazi rally. A year later, while serving that sentence, he was convicted of racially harassing Luciana Berger through an online campaign targeting the then-Labour MP.
During sentencing, the judge described the case as one of the most serious examples of racially aggravated harassment and criticised Bonehill-Paine’s conduct throughout the trial, saying he appeared to take satisfaction in the distress caused to Berger.
Since his release from prison in 2018, Bonehill-Paine has repeatedly described his former extremist beliefs as “indefensible” and says he has dedicated his time to combating antisemitism through educational work with universities, schools, colleges and probation services.
Despite those efforts, his selection as a Conservative candidate prompted strong criticism from Jewish organisations, several political parties and Berger herself.
Now a member of the House of Lords, Baroness Berger described his appointment as an anti-extremism adviser as an “insult”, arguing that giving him an advisory role was no better than allowing him to stand for elected office.
She said the harassment campaign against her had profoundly affected her life because of the scale and severity of the abuse.
In explaining his decision to withdraw, Bonehill-Paine said opposition parties would continue focusing on his past rather than the work he has carried out since leaving prison. He argued that his experience would be better used helping the Conservative Party develop strategies to prevent radicalisation and counter extremist ideology.
Badenoch expressed disappointment that Bonehill-Paine had decided not to contest the election but welcomed his decision to work with the party in an advisory capacity. She said effective efforts to combat extremism would require support from people who had once been involved in extremist movements but had since rejected those beliefs.
The decision has continued to attract criticism from political opponents. Reform UK described the appointment as deeply concerning for Britain’s Jewish community, while Liberal Democrat MP Adam Dance said Bonehill-Paine’s withdrawal was the correct decision but questioned why he had been selected in the first place.
The Board of Deputies of British Jews welcomed Bonehill-Paine’s decision to step down as a council candidate and called on all political parties to strengthen their vetting procedures to ensure a firm stance against racism, discrimination and antisemitism.
