Conservative Party Selects Former Neo-Nazi for Somerset Council Election

The Conservative and Unionist Party selected Joshua Bonehill-Paine, a former neo-Nazi activist and founder of the far-right National British Resistance, as its candidate for the upcoming Somerset council election in the Crewkerne South district.

Bonehill-Paine has an extensive criminal record, including a 2015 prison sentence for posting antisemitic material and a 2016 conviction for racially aggravated harassment of Jewish MP Luciana Berger. He has also been convicted of burglary and assaulting a police officer. He recently created the Crewkerne Gazette, an AI-driven satirical series that has praised Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch.

Reform UK condemned the selection as hypocrisy, arguing that Badenoch cannot claim to combat antisemitism while selecting a convicted antisemite. Bonehill-Paine defended the appointment, stating that the party is fully aware of his history and noting that he holds Home Office counter-extremism certifications.