Rebecca Harris, the Conservative chief whip, has faced criticism for reposting an AI-generated video created by Joshua Bonehill-Paine, a far-right activist jailed for hate crimes against Jewish people. The video, produced by the satirical account Crewkerne Gazette, depicts Kemi Badenoch and shadow justice secretary Nick Timothy as characters from the film Scarface.
Bonehill-Paine, who has convictions for assault, racially aggravated harassment, and malicious communications, claims to be a paid-up member of the Conservative Party. His past includes founding the far-right group National British Resistance and posting antisemitic material online. He told the Guardian he regrets his past and has been rehabilitated under a Conservative government.
Labour MP Alex Barros-Curtis condemned Harris's promotion of the clip, stating it showed poor judgment and highlighted the Conservatives' failure to learn from their election defeat. A Conservative spokesperson defended the Crewkerne Gazette as a fun, satirical account whose videos have been broadcast on mainstream TV channels.
The party has been asked to comment on Bonehill-Paine's membership claim. The video is the latest in a series of AI skits by the account, which has previously featured politicians singing altered versions of popular songs.
