Conservatives Arrange Meetings for Jewish Groups After Selecting Ex-Neo-Nazi Candidate

The Conservative Party has extended invitations for discussions to several Jewish groups after the controversial selection of Joshua Bonehill-Paine as a candidate for the newly formed Bridgwater North and Central seat on Somerset Council in 2027.

Bonehill-Paine previously served a prison sentence for inciting racial hatred and harassment related to his neo-Nazi activities. His past includes publishing antisemitic material online and orchestrating a troll campaign against Luciana Berger, then a Labour MP.

The Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) stated that Bonehill-Paine had harassed Ms Berger with a "torrent of antisemitic abuse" and celebrated Adolf Hitler's birthday. In 2019, he received a three-year nine-month sentence for these offences.

A spokesperson for the Conservative Party acknowledged the concerns raised and confirmed that discussions with Jewish organisations are being arranged to address the matter directly. The party emphasised its zero-tolerance policy towards antisemitism.

Separately, the Labour Party has criticised the Conservative Party's vetting processes, highlighting Bonehill-Paine's previous conviction for race hate offences. Labour asserts that this incident underscores a concerning pattern within the Conservative Party regarding candidate selection and its engagement with antisemitism.