Tories offer Jewish groups meeting with ex neo-Nazi activist candidate
The Conservative Party selected Joshua Bonehill-Paine, a former neo‑Nazi activist, as a candidate for a Somerset Council seat. Jewish organisations have been offered a meeting with him to discuss concerns about his past convictions and extremist views. Party leader Kemi Badenoch defended the choice, citing his alleged rehabilitation and work against extremism.
- ▪Joshua Bonehill-Paine, who served time for neo‑Nazi activism and racially harassing former Labour MP Luciana Berger, was chosen as the Tory candidate for the new Somerset Council seat of Crewkerne South.
- ▪The Board of Deputies of British Jews and other Jewish bodies have criticised the selection and have been invited by the Conservatives to meet Bonehill‑Paine to raise their concerns.
- ▪Kemi Badenoch said the party believes in second chances and highlighted Bonehill‑Paine’s current work delivering counter‑extremism sessions.
- ▪Opposition parties, including the Liberal Democrats and Labour, have condemned the candidate’s selection as inappropriate for public office.
3 outlets in our directory ran this story, first to last over 31 hours. All of the coverage we found sits in one bucket: lean left. That one-sidedness is itself worth noticing.
- ▪ Ex neo-Nazi activist selected as Tory candidate — BBC News — Politics
- ▪ Former neo-Nazi activist selected as Tory candidate for Somerset council election — The Guardian — UK
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| Publication time | Wed, 05 Aug 2026 02:03:42 GMT |
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Tories offer Jewish groups meeting with ex neo-Nazi activist candidateImage source, Yeovil ConservativesImage caption, Joshua Bonehill-Paine has been selected to stand as a candidate for a seat in next year's Somerset Council electionByHenry Zeffman, Chief Political Correspondent and Helen SullivanPublished6 minutes agoThe Conservatives have offered Jewish groups a meeting with their council election candidate, Joshua Bonehill-Paine, who spent time in prison for neo-Nazi activism.The party has been criticised over the decision to select him to stand for a seat on Somerset Council next year, but Kemi Badenoch has said she is standing by Bonehill-Paine because she wants to give him a second chance.
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