Kemi Badenoth defends ex-convict's candidacy in Somerset

On August 4 2026, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoth responded to media inquiries by defending the selection of Joshua Bonehill-Paine, convicted for racist harassment of a former MP, as a council candidate in Somerset. The announcement sparked intense debate over the Conservative Party's reintegration policy.

The conviction of Joshua Bonehill-Paine

Joshua Bonehill-Paine was jailed in 2016 after being convicted of racially-aggravated harassment against former Labour MP Luciana Berger of Liverpool Wavertree. During the trial, he referred to the MP as “a malicious money-grabber” and accused her of “deep hatred of men”. The conviction also covered the production of an anti-Semitic advert that used an image of the Auschwitz concentration camp.

The selection for the Crewkerne South council

The Conservative Party chose Bonehill-Paine to run for the new seat on the Crewkerne South municipal council in Somerset, in the local elections slated for 2027. The decision was announced during Badenoth’s visit to a police operation in Surrey, heightening the visibility of the choice.

Badenoth’s arguments on second chances

Badenoth stated that the party believes in “second chances” and insisted she was not “recruiting neo-Nazis”. She said: "I want to be very clear – and I think people can look at me and know that I’m not a person who would be recruiting neo-Nazis. Josh is someone who actually has been certified by the Home Office to train police officers on antisemitism and on countering extremism." She then added: "Yes, he is somebody who had been previously convicted but he is someone who has shown contrition for his crimes, has been rehabilitated and is spending every day working to solve the very problem which he knew that he had caused previously. And the Conservative party believes in second chances." Finally, she emphasized that the candidate is not “just a convicted criminal – he is someone who is actively working to help communities”.

Reaction and context of the decision

Badenoth’s statement came as the press questioned the propriety of placing someone with a history of hate speech in a political representative role. Although the article does not cite specific reactions, the very need for a defence indicates the choice was seen as controversial. The case illustrates the dilemma between a policy of reintegrating convicted individuals and public sensitivity to previously discriminatory conduct.

With information from The Guardian.