Joshua Bonehill-Paine, who was previously known for antisemitic behaviour and had been selected by the Conservative Party to stand in next year’s Somerset council elections, has decided to withdraw his candidacy.
In a statement posted on X, Mr Bonehill-Paine acknowledged his past actions and expressed a desire to demonstrate to the Jewish community his deep regret. He said his aim was to actively combat antisemitism and regain trust by working to challenge the hatred faced by British Jews.
Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch described her feelings about his decision as “sad,” noting that Mr Bonehill-Paine would no longer have the opportunity to represent his community or explain his current stance. Despite this, she confirmed that he would be involved with the party’s culture and integration commission, focusing on addressing radicalisation among young men.
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Badenoch stated, “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.”
The selection of Mr Bonehill-Paine to stand in the Crewkerne South ward sparked widespread criticism from Jewish organisations and opposition politicians. The Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Jewish Leadership Council both called on the Conservative Party to reconsider, while Labour peer Baroness Luciana Berger argued that he should have no role in public life due to his past racism and misogyny.
Mr Bonehill-Paine was jailed in 2016 after being convicted of racially aggravated harassment of Baroness Berger, who is Jewish. He had also served a prison sentence for producing an advert for a neo-Nazi rally that featured an image of the Auschwitz concentration camp with the offensive slogan “an absolute gas.”
Since then, he has publicly apologised for his previous offending and stated his commitment to combating antisemitism.
In his post, Mr Bonehill-Paine reflected on how the past 24 hours had revealed a widespread misunderstanding of his remorse. He said, “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, “I realise now that the fight against antisemitism is something that I actually need to do more of. I need to show the Jewish community how much I regret my previous actions and how hard I will work to fight to help destroy antisemitism and rebuild trust.”
Mr Bonehill-Paine revealed that Mrs Badenoch had offered him a role advising the Conservative Party’s culture and integration commission with a specific focus on preventing the radicalisation of young men.
Reacting to the developments, Liberal Democrat MP for Yeovil, Adam Dance, whose constituency includes Crewkerne, described the withdrawal as “the right outcome, but it should never have got to this point.” He criticised Mrs Badenoch for not acknowledging the party’s mistake, stating, “she has not accepted her party got this wrong, and instead frames legitimate concern about antisemitism as ‘piling on’. That is a troubling message to send.”
A spokesperson for Reform UK condemned the decision to appoint Mr Bonehill-Paine as an adviser, calling it “alarming news for the Jewish community in Britain.” The spokesman labelled him a “self-professed fascist who has been jailed for publishing antisemitic material,” expressing disbelief that he would influence national Conservative Party policy.