Badenoch reacts after former neo-Nazi withdraws as Tory candidate in local election

Jump to contentThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged inAllNewsSportCultureLifestyleKemi Badenoch has said she is sad that Joshua Bonehill-Paine has withdrawn his candidacy for a Conservative council election in Somerset. Bonehill-Paine was previously jailed in 2016 for racially aggravated harassment of Labour peer Baroness Luciana Berger, who is Jewish, and for producing a neo-Nazi rally advert featuring Auschwitz. Ms Badenoch expressed sadness at the decision but welcomed Bonehill-Paine’s commitment to working with her and the Conservative Party on tackling radicalisation.She had , initially defended Bonehill-Paine's selection, arguing for the possibility of rehabilitation, but clarified that her thresholds for parliamentary candidates were much higher than for local councillors. The Board of Deputies and the Jewish Leadership Council (JLC) declined to meet Bonehill-Paine, describing him as a "former neo-Nazi with criminal convictions for antisemitic hatred," and criticised his selection by a major political party. In fullFormer neo-Nazi activist withdraws as Tory local election candidate after backlashMore bulletinsThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in

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