Convicted anti-Semite withdraws as Conservative council candidate
Joshua Bonehill-Payne, a convicted anti-Semite, withdrew as a Conservative council candidate following public backlash.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
Joshua Bonehill-Payne, a convicted anti-Semite and former neo-Nazi, has withdrawn as a Conservative council candidate for a seat in Somerset after a day of intense backlash from Jewish groups and the Labour politician he was convicted of harassing. The Conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch, had personally defended his selection, arguing that he had been rehabilitated and now works to combat extremism. But by evening, Bonehill-Payne stepped down, saying his candidacy would distract from the fight against anti-Semitism. Badenoch then appointed him as an unpaid advisor to the party's Culture and Integration Commission, focusing on how young men become radicalised.
Bonehill-Payne was jailed in 2016 for racially aggravated harassment of the then Labour MP Luciana Berger, who is Jewish. He was already serving a three-year sentence for posting anti-Semitic material online ahead of a planned neo-Nazi rally. The judge in the harassment case said it was difficult to imagine a worse case of its kind. Bonehill-Payne also has convictions for assaulting a police officer, burglary of a police station, and malicious communications. Since leaving prison in 2018, he says he has completed a de-radicalisation programme and now delivers counter-extremism training, including to police officers. He also runs a satirical website, the Crewkerne Gazette, which produces AI-generated parody videos of politicians.
His selection as a Conservative candidate for the new Somerset Council seat of Crewkerne South was approved by Badenoch. She told broadcasters this morning that she had looked at the case carefully and that the party believes in second chances. "If we can't have the people who have previously been radicalised, who understand what went wrong, and are part of the fight against anti-Semitism now, if we're saying, no, no, no, you're untouchable, then how can we pretend that we believe in rehabilitation?" she said.
But the backlash was swift. Baroness Berger, now a Labour peer, said the case still haunts her and that Bonehill-Payne should not hold any public office. The Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Jewish Leadership Council both declined an invitation to meet him, though they offered to discuss the party's vetting process with the Conservatives. The Campaign Against Anti-Semitism also criticised the decision.
By late afternoon, Bonehill-Payne issued a statement withdrawing his candidacy. "The last 24 hours have shown that a lot of people do not understand how terrible I feel about the things I did when I was much younger," he said. "I know that my previous actions continue to cause pain in the Jewish community. I thought that getting involved in my local council and working hard for my community was a good way to show how much I've changed and that I want to give something back, but I realise now that the fight against anti-Semitism is something that I actually need to do more of." He added that he had informed the party of his decision and that Badenoch had instead offered him the advisory role.
Badenoch responded by saying she was sad that Bonehill-Payne would not be given the space to explain his position, but welcomed his continued work with the party. "If we're going to stop extremism and anti-Semitism, 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," she wrote online.
The decision to give him an advisory role drew further criticism. Baroness Berger called it "an insult" and said it was no better than allowing him to stand as a councillor. The Foreign Secretary, who is not named in the transcripts, said Bonehill-Payne should never have been a candidate and that the party would have to answer for its actions. Some senior Conservatives privately questioned Badenoch's judgment, noting the contrast between her treatment of Bonehill-Payne and the blocking of former cabinet minister Grant Shapps, who is Jewish, from standing as a parliamentary candidate.
The episode has prompted a wider debate about rehabilitation and what roles former extremists can play in public life. Jewish groups said they believed in rehabilitation but argued that the severity of Bonehill-Payne's crimes made him unsuitable for elected office. Bonehill-Payne's brief career as a candidate is over, but his involvement with the Conservative Party continues.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | Channel 5 | BBC One | BBC Two | Channel 4 | ITV | Sky News |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| He was later convicted of racially aggravated assault for harassing a Jewish former MP. | · | |||||
| Kemi Badenoch defended the decision to allow Bonehill-Payne to stand as a councillor, citing second chances and rehabilitation, but said he may not become a parliamentary candidate. | · | · | ||||
| Joshua Bonehill Payne was jailed for three years in 2015 for posting anti-Semitic material. | · | · | · | |||
| Joshua Bonehill-Payne was jailed for anti-Semitic offences and harassing a Jewish MP. | · | · | · | |||
| Joshua Bonehill-Payne withdrew his candidacy for a Conservative council seat after public backlash. | · | · | · | |||
| The Board of Deputies and Jewish Leadership Council declined an invitation to meet Joshua Bonehill-Payne. | · | · | · | |||
| Bonehill-Payne withdrew his candidacy and was then offered a role as an adviser on radicalisation. | · | · | · | · | ||
| Kemi Badenoch said Bonehill-Payne would become an advisor to the Conservative Party's Cultural and Integration Commission focusing on radicalisation. | · | · | · | · | ||
| Kemi Badenoch stated that Joshua Bonehill Payne is rehabilitated and works in counter-extremism. | · | · | · | · | ||
| A senior Conservative contrasted the treatment of Bonehill-Payne with Grant Shapps. | · | · | · | · | · | |
| An individual is not leaving the Conservative Party. | · | · | · | · | · | |
| Badenoch earlier downplayed the candidacy, stating that a councillor's responsibilities are limited to bins and parking. | · | · | · | · | · |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
Channel 4 News highlighted its own role in revealing Bonehill-Payne as the anonymous creator of AI-generated music videos under the name Crewkerne Gazette. The channel focused on the contrast between Badenoch's defence of a former neo-Nazi and her blocking of Jewish former minister Grant Shapps from standing as an MP. The tone was investigative and critical of the party's judgment.
- “Josh is someone who actually has been certified by the Home Office to train police officers on anti-Semitism and on countering extremism.”
- “One senior Tory pointed out to us that the former cabinet minister, Grant Shapps, who's Jewish, was blocked recently from standing again as a Conservative parliamentary candidate, and yet a former neo-Nazi was welcomed. That, they said, is a crazy situation.”
BBC ONE West provided rolling coverage throughout the day, with detailed reports from political correspondents Henry Zeffman and Joe Pike. The channel emphasised the rehabilitation debate, including Bonehill-Payne's own account of his change of heart after the murder of MP Jo Cox, and the reactions from Jewish groups and Baroness Berger. The tone was balanced but noted the political damage to Badenoch.
- “There's a big difference between going back into society and teaching others possibly about what you did and why it was wrong to making the leap to standing for public office. I think there's a massive distinction there.”
- “If we can't have the people who have previously been radicalised, who understand what went wrong, and are part of the fight against anti-Semitism now, if we're saying, no, no, no, you're untouchable, then how can we pretend that we believe in rehabilitation?”
Sky News broke the news of Bonehill-Payne's withdrawal and carried his full statement. The channel focused on the rapid development of the story, the refusal of Jewish groups to meet him, and the political implications for Badenoch. The tone was factual and breaking-news oriented, with analysis from political correspondent Lucy McDade.
- “He says the last 24 hours have shown a lot of people do not understand how terrible I feel about the things I did when I was much younger.”
- “Kemi Badenoch says that while she's sad that he won't be given the space to explain his position and represent his community. I'm glad he's going to work with me and the party on tackling radicalisation as part of our culture and integration commission.”
ITV News at Ten led with a critical report, questioning why Badenoch doubled down by giving Bonehill-Payne an advisory role. The channel highlighted the victim's perspective, with Baroness Berger calling the appointment an insult. The tone was sceptical of Badenoch's judgment, and the report included reaction from the Foreign Secretary and Labour.
- “When the Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch threw her weight this morning behind a former neo-Nazi as a candidate for a council seat in Somerset, she said it was a judgement call.”
- “Baroness Berger said that was as bad as him standing as a counsellor. She called his appointment an insult.”
5 News delivered a concise breaking-news update, focusing on Bonehill-Payne's statement and the reaction from Jewish organisations. The tone was straightforward, summarising the key facts without extensive analysis. The channel noted that Jewish groups believed in rehabilitation but argued the severity of his past actions made this case different.
- “In a statement, he said... 'I have therefore informed my party of my decision to withdraw from next year's council elections and Kemi has instead offered that I become an advisor to the Conservative Party's Cultural and Integration Commission specifically focusing on how young men become radicalised.'”
- “Jewish organisations that we have spoken to say that they believe in rehabilitation but argue that this case is different because of the severity of his past actions.”
Newsnight hosted a studio debate on rehabilitation, featuring Conservative Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Barber and a journalist. The channel focused on the principles of second chances and the political fallout, including the contrast with Grant Shapps. The tone was analytical, exploring the wider implications for Badenoch's leadership and the party's candidate vetting.
- “I think both things can be true. I think we were just talking about the Sentencing Act. I think rehabilitation is a genuinely important thing.”
- “Luciana Berger says it's an insult making this man a party advisor and it's no better than allowing him to stand as a counsellor.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.