Conservative leader appoints former neo-Nazi activist to advisory role

Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative Party leader, has given Joshua Bonehill-Paine an advisory role after he pulled out as a council candidate in Somerset in August 2026. Bonehill-Paine previously went to prison for posting antisemitic content online and for targeting Jewish MP Luciana Berger. After he withdrew, Badenoch offered him a position advising the party on how young men become radicalised. Badenoch had defended choosing him as a candidate, saying the party believes in giving people a second chance. Bonehill-Paine says he has worked against antisemitism since leaving prison and calls his past behaviour indefensible. Jewish organisations, Berger, and opposition politicians have strongly criticised both decisions. They question whether someone with his history should hold any role in a major political party.