Ex neo-Nazi activist withdraws as Tory election candidate

Former neo-Nazi activist Joshua Bonehill-Paine has withdrawn his bid to become a Conservative candidate in the upcoming council election after facing intense backlash. Bonehill-Paine, who was convicted of racially harassing Jewish Labour MP Luciana Berger in 2016 while serving a separate sentence for sharing antisemitic posts, had been selected by the Tories to contest the Crewkerne South seat in Somerset.

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch defended his candidacy, claiming Bonehill-Paine had been rehabilitated and the party believed in second chances. However, Bonehill-Paine has now resigned from his candidacy and been offered an unpaid position as an anti-extremism adviser to the party, focusing on preventing young men from being radicalised.

Berger described the appointment as an "insult" and called it no better than allowing him to stand as a council candidate. The party's decision to select Bonehill-Paine sparked widespread criticism, with Jewish groups declining his offer of a meeting and foreign secretary Ed Miliband stating he should never have been a candidate.

Bonehill-Paine's past behavior has been described as indefensible and barred him from standing for public office. The Conservative Party's decision to offer him a role in combating antisemitism and extremism has been met with mixed reactions, with Reform UK and the Liberal Democrats expressing concern over the move.