He was previously jailed for producing an advert for a neo-Nazi rally illustrated with a picture of Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz, which promised “an absolute gas”.
He also has a conviction for assaulting a police officer and burglary.
The JC understands that senior Conservatives have made “strong representations” to the party leadership urging that Bonehill-Paine's candidacy be withdrawn.
One senior Conservative source said: “A number of very blunt and forceful submissions have been made to Kemi and the chairman.
“The failure of judgment is inexplicable,” the source added.
But speaking on Wednesday morning, Badenoch defended the candidacy, and distinguished between allowing Bonehill-Paine to seek local office and giving him “a national platform” as a prospective MP.
“It is a local platform looking at parking, sorting out bins. That’s what councillors do. It’s not a national platform,” she said.
“I have much higher thresholds for what it takes to be a Conservative MP. This man is not standing to be an MP. There’s a huge difference.”
Bonehill-Paine has been chosen by the Tories to stand for election to Somerset Council, in the Crewkerne South ward. (Facebook/Joshua Bonehill-Paine)[Missing Credit]
Speaking on the BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, she continued: “At a local level, where someone is actively working on anti-radicalisation, fighting for the Jewish people, knowing the harm he caused … this is a judgement call and I think in this case, I do think that he should be allowed to stand.”
Jewish communal leaders have rejected an invitation from the Conservative Party to meet with the former neo-Nazi.
In a joint statement, the Board of Deputies and the Jewish Leadership Council said: “The severity of Joshua Bonehill-Paine's crimes targeting Luciana Berger and others mean that he still faces ongoing legal restrictions.
“Whilst we do believe in the possibility of rehabilitation, this should not in this case entail selection as a candidate for a political party, and the impact of this decision on the victims ought to be a central consideration.”
But they said they would meet with the Conservatives to “discuss their decision-making progress” and urge them to drop Bonehill-Paine as a candidate.
The government's independent adviser on antisemitism, Lord John Mann, also criticised Badenoch's decision.
He said: “The Conservative leader has got this very wrong and indeed cannot have been shown Conservative Party files on his earlier years of involvement. He targeted many people with his hatred.”
Baroness Berger has accused the Tory leader of sacrificing “British values... for the sake of politics”.
"I am all for rehabilitation," she said, "But there’s a gulf between being sorry and being allowed to stand for election. Myself and others should not have to relive our trauma in silence. We should not have to watch the people who harmed us be elevated without any acknowledgement of what happened.”
Baroness Luciana Berger speaking during the debate on the Assisted Dying Bill in the House of Lords, September 19, 2025. (Parliament TV/PA)Parliament TV/PA Wire
The Labour peer recalled Bonehill-Paine's conduct during his trial, saying: "He showed no contrition. None. At one point he performed a full Nazi salute to his supporters in the public gallery.
“That moment has stayed with me ever since, not just because of the vileness of the gesture itself, but because of the chilling confidence with which it was delivered. It told me everything I needed to know about how this individual saw the world, and about the utter contempt he held for the people he targeted.”
She added: “Some have chosen to paint this as a Labour Vs Conservative fight. I’d hold exactly the same view if any party, mine included, made this choice - and I would speak out accordingly.
“For the avoidance of doubt I don’t believe this man should hold any position in public life - because of both his racism and his views of women.”
Since his release from prison in 2018, Bonehill-Paine has re-emerged as the creator of The Crewkerne Gazette, a Facebook site which posts AI-generated satirical political videos and has built up a cult following, with some generating 100 million views.
He has not apologised directly to Berger, telling Somerset Live, “I’ve not reached out to her to apologise up until this moment, and the reason for that is because I’m not so sure she wants me contacting her and I wouldn’t want to worry her.
“So I am deeply, truly, humbly sorry.”
In an interview earlier this year, he described how watching the film The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas changed his antisemitc views, describing how a “sense of grief” came over him, and “shame that I had espoused the views that had been responsible for the slaughter of six million innocent Jewish people during the Holocaust”.
Conservative Party Leader Kemi Badenoch speaks during a press conference on early prison releases on July 28, in London. (Getty Images)Getty Images
In a message to the JC, the Tory candidate added: “It was a Conservative government that facilitated my rehabilitation while I was in prison. I firmly believe in giving people second chances when they have demonstrably changed, taken responsibility for their actions and can use their experiences to help make our country better.”
Describing his prior actions as “utterly indefensible,” he explained that since his release “II have come to know many people within the Jewish community and have dedicated myself to challenging the wave of hatred British Jews continue to face. That is a commitment I will carry with me for the rest of my life.”
He recalled: “Many years ago in Yeovil, a group of Orthodox Jews visited the town. I spoke with them, welcomed them and, before long, we were linking arms, dancing the hora and singing Hava Nagila together in the street. I have never forgotten that moment.”
