Who is Joshua Bonehill-Paine? Former neo-Nazi appointed as Tory advisor
Kemi Badenoch defends decision to allow convicted internet troll, who took part in antisemitic abuse, to become a Conservative Party candidate
Kemi Badenoch has defended appointing Joshua Bonehill-Paine, a one-time neo-Nazi troll who was jailed for antisemitic abuse, as a Conservative Party adviser.
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The Tory leader has hired him to be an adviser to the party’s culture and integration commission, an unpaid position with a focus on how young men can become radicalised.
The 33-year-old had been chosen to stand for election to Somerset Council, in the Crewkerne South ward, but has now withdrawn.
Bonehill-Paine's candidacy was met with a backlash, including from the Board of Deputies of British Jews, which led him to step back and take the role instead.
Here is the full story.
Read also: Jewish leaders reject meeting with former neo-Nazi Tory candidate - urging Badenoch to 'drop him'
Who is Joshua Bonehill-Paine?
Joshua Bonehill-Paine is a Conservative Party adviser to the party’s culture and integration commission, and a one-time convicted criminal, neo-Nazi and internet troll.
The 33-year-old, who is from Yeovil, was raised in foster care and was expelled from a private school for fighting.
In 2011, he burgled a police station in Chard, Somerset, and assaulted two police officers, being sentenced to a 12-month community order with 100 hours' unpaid work.
From there, Bonehill-Paine left the Conservative Party and became interested in far-right politics, joining the banned extreme group National Action in 2015 and declaring himself a "proud anti-semite".
He was jailed in 2015 for producing an advert for a neo-Nazi rally illustrated with a picture of Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz which promised “an absolute gas”.
Then, in 2016, he was jailed again after he was convicted of racially aggravated harassment of Labour peer Baroness Luciana Berger, who is Jewish, while she was an MP.
He also harassed the food activist Jack Monroe and helped organise antisemitic and neo-Nazi protests.
The last 24 hours have shown that a lot of people do not understand how terrible I feel about the things I did when I was much younger.
— Crewkerne Man (@CrewkerneMan) August 5, 2026
I know that my previous actions continue to cause pain in the Jewish community. I had thought that getting involved in my local council and…
Bonehill-Paine said that he became deradicalised in prison, having spent time reading the Bible behind bars.
Since his release in 2018, he has campaigned against radicalisation and also launched the YouTube channel The Crewkerne Gazette, which uses AI to produce political satire videos, including a rap battle between Ms Badenoch and Andy Burnham. The father of three released a song called Take a Dump on Number 10 in 2024.
Bonehill-Paine has been apologetic for his past actions and joined the Conservative Party in 2026, becoming its candidate for the Crewkerne South ward in the 2027 Somerset Council election, but stood down.
He tweeted: "The last 24 hours have shown that a lot of people do not understand how terrible I feel about the things I did when I was much younger.
"I know that my previous actions continue to cause pain in the Jewish community.
"I had thought that getting involved in my local council and working hard for my community was a good way to show how much I have changed and that I want to give something back."
He added: "Rather than standing as a local council candidate, I believe that my experience is better used supporting Kemi Badenoch in her ongoing mission to combat the antisemitism and extremism that is dividing our nation."
Ms Badenoch tweeted: "While I am sad that Joshua feels he won't be given the space to explain his position and represent his community, I am glad he is going to work with the party and me on tackling radicalisation as part of our Culture and Integration commission.
"If we are going to stop extremism and antisemitism, we are going to need help from those people who were part of the problem, but have now changed and are being part of the solution. Piling on them and trying to get them cancelled may be sport for other parties, but this is a different Conservative Party."
Her words were echoed by Tory shadow energy secretary Claire Coutinho, who said that her Catholic faith had allowed her to forgive his actions.
She tweeted: "I don’t think people who have committed atrocious acts should get a free pass in life.
"However, I do think extremism is such a scourge in society that those who have dedicated themselves to trying to counter it should be able to earn a hearing."
The appointment angered the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Jewish Leadership Council, who declined an offer from the Conservatives to meet Bonehill-Paine.
A joint statement read: “The severity of Joshua Bonehill-Paine’s crimes targeting Luciana Berger and others mean that he still faces ongoing legal restrictions.
“Whilst we do believe in the possibility of rehabilitation, this should not in this case entail selection as a candidate for a major political party, and the impact of this decision on the victims ought to be a central consideration."
Ms Berger, who had been harassed, tweeted: “The decision to welcome this individual as an adviser to the Leader of the Opposition is no better than allowing him to stand as a council candidate.
“It is a privileged and influential national role. As a victim of this man’s heinous crimes, this appointment is an insult."