Joshua Bonehill-Paine, the former neo-Nazi who withdrew as a Conservative council candidate, has claimed he passed Reform UK's vetting process. The claim comes after he shared emails appearing to show he had been accepted by the party.
Background and conviction
Bonehill-Paine was convicted in 2016 of racially aggravated harassment against Jewish Labour peer Luciana Berger, after writing several blog posts about her. He previously described himself as a "nationalist, fascist, theorist and supporter of white rights" but says he has since "worked to combat antisemitism and extremism".
He withdrew his Tory candidacy for the Crewkerne South ward in Somerset next year amid intense scrutiny of Kemi Badenoch's support for him. Badenoch has instead offered him an advisory role in her party.
Reform UK emails
Reform MP Nigel Farage criticised the Conservatives' decision to run the candidate, before Bonehill-Paine quit. Farage responded to a post on X about the then-candidate, writing: "Is this part of the 'new generation' of Conservative candidates @KemiBadenoch is promising?" The post was flagged with a community note claiming Reform "invited" Bonehill-Paine to stand for their party in these local elections.
Bonehill-Paine replied with a screenshot of an email from Reform UK thanking him for applying to be a local election candidate. The email said: "We are pleased to inform you that you have successfully passed out vetting checks." He said he "foolishly" applied and "even passed vetting and security". A Reform spokesperson claimed he applied under a different name and did not disclose his criminal record.
Further correspondence
Bonehill-Paine also shared an email from Reform's Yeovil branch, appearing to show the head of the local group asking him in June if he would like to meet to discuss potentially running on the ballot under Reform. He replied to a post by Reform Warwickshire County Council leader George Finch, writing: "Reform were begging me to stand as a councillor. I told them where to go and chose the better party."
A Reform UK spokesman said: "Mr Bonehill-Paine applied to be a candidate under a different name and failed to disclose his criminal record during the vetting process. Ultimately, he was never selected as a Reform UK candidate - unlike the Conservative Party who knew about his self-professed fascist views all along."
Advisor role and reactions
Bonehill-Paine quit as the Tory candidate on Wednesday afternoon but revealed he was offered an advisor role. He said: "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." He added that Badenoch offered him a role as an advisor to the Conservative Party's Culture and Integration Commission, focusing on how young men become radicalised.
Kemi Badenoch said she was "sad" that Bonehill-Paine "won't be given the space to explain his position and represent his community". She added: "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."
A Reform UK spokesperson said: "It beggars belief that Kemi Badenoch has hired a former neo-Nazi. Joshua Bonehill-Paine, a self-professed fascist who has been jailed for publishing antisemitic material, will now have a say over national Conservative Party policy. This is alarming news for the Jewish community in Britain."
Criticism and background
The selection of Bonehill-Paine prompted criticism from Jewish groups and opposition politicians. The Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Jewish Leadership Council called for the party to change course, while Baroness Berger said he should not have "any role in public life - because of both his racism and his view of women".
Bonehill-Paine is also behind the viral satirical website the Crewkerne Gazette, which posts AI-generated videos of politicians. It has more than 40,000 followers on X and more than 50,000 on YouTube.
In 2014, he was convicted on a malicious communication charge after admitting launching an internet hoax claiming a Leicester pub had refused to serve British armed forces members. He was also convicted and jailed for more than three years for inciting racial hatred after promoting a neo-Nazi rally in Golders Green, north London.
Bonehill-Paine was convicted of racially harassing Baroness Berger after publishing five hate-filled blog posts about her, in which he described her as "a dominatrix" and "a rodent". He was jailed in 2016 for two years, with a criminal behaviour order allowing police to monitor his internet activity for five years after release.
In a statement, Bonehill-Paine said: "Eight years ago, I made the decision to confront and combat antisemitism. I felt enormous grief and shame over the way I had treated Jewish people in this country. What I did was utterly indefensible and there can be no excuses for it."
