Labour peer Luciana Berger has called on Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch to “listen to victims” and withdraw a national advisory appointment given to a former neo-Nazi who was convicted of harassing her. Berger said she remained affected by the abuse she suffered more than nine years ago and questioned what vetting had taken place before the appointment. Badenoch's spokesperson has said the individual will not hold a parliamentary pass and will not have access to the Westminster estate.
Joshua Bonehill-Paine was sentenced to more than three years in prison in 2015 after posting antisemitic material online ahead of a planned neo-Nazi rally. He founded and led the far-right group National British Resistance. In 2016, he was convicted of racially aggravated harassment over abuse aimed at Berger while she served as an MP.
What prompted Berger's intervention?
Berger's public criticism followed an article Badenoch wrote for the Times defending the appointment and describing scrutiny of Bonehill-Paine's suitability as a “pile-on.” Berger said she initially saw the piece late on a Saturday night and attempted to ignore it, but responded after Badenoch shared the article again on Monday.
Berger disputed Badenoch's characterisation of the criticism, saying the toll of Bonehill-Paine's actions extended well beyond a single reference in the piece.
Badenoch makes one passing reference to the ‘victims’. There were many. And I was one of them. Did Badenoch read the judge's sentencing remarks? In court we heard the victim impact statements from people unable to testify, whose lives he had destroyed.
She went on to raise concerns about proximity to Parliament given his new role.
His appointment as an adviser to the Conservative party's culture and integration commission could conceivably bring him to Westminster. Can I expect to come face to face with him on the parliamentary estate?
It's still not too late for Badenoch to listen to victims and reverse her decision.
How has Badenoch defended the decision?
Badenoch has framed the appointment as consistent with principles of accountability and reform, arguing that the party should recognise genuine change even when doing so proves politically awkward.
People need to understand that the Conservative party under my leadership is now the party of personal responsibility and law and order. That means insisting on consequences by punishing wrongdoing and protecting the public, especially victims.
We need fewer double standards and instead higher standards in a system that is repeatedly failing to protect the public. We should be tough enough to stand by our beliefs even when politically inconvenient, wise enough to recognise rehabilitation and consistent enough to apply the same principles to friend and foe.
According to a report by LocalGov, Badenoch said the position was designed for someone who had “been part of the problem but have now changed and are being part of the solution,” with Bonehill-Paine expected to advise the party's culture and integration commission on how young men become radicalised.
A spokesperson for Badenoch said Bonehill-Paine had served his sentence, completed Home Office Prevent counter-terrorism courses, and had since visited schools to speak about combatting antisemitism and extremism. However, according to a report from a national newspaper's political desk, the Home Office has said it “does not certify individuals to deliver training,” which contradicts Badenoch's claim that Bonehill-Paine had been “certified by the Home Office” to train police officers, as detailed by a national newspaper's politics coverage.
What was the nature of the abuse and Bonehill-Paine's other convictions?
The harassment directed at Berger included calling her a “rodent” and an “evil money-grabber.” Bonehill-Paine also holds convictions for assaulting a police officer and burgling a police station, and was found guilty in 2014 of malicious communications relating to an anti-Islam hoax that resulted in death threats against the owners of a pub in Leicester.
Berger pressed Badenoch on what vetting procedures had been followed before the appointment was made.
Badenoch's article says she wants to safeguard the public and victims, but what safeguarding checks have she and the Conservative party carried out?
Berger said that had Badenoch or her team approached her directly, she would have told them the appointment represented flawed judgment rather than a tougher political stance.
I would say, I don't think it is ‘harder politics’ for this man to be part of Kemi's operation. I think it's the wrong politics.
I'm all for rehabilitation. But someone convicted of neo-Nazi misogynistic crimes is not suitable for public office less than a decade after his conviction. And neither should he be gifted a national advisory role, even closer to power.
How has the Jewish community responded, and what happens next?
According to LocalGov, the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Jewish Leadership Council turned down Badenoch's invitation to meet Bonehill-Paine directly. Instead, the two organisations said they would meet with Conservative party representatives to discuss how the decision was made and to press for the appointment to be withdrawn.
The Conservative party has not responded to questions about what safeguarding checks were carried out before Bonehill-Paine's appointment, nor explained why Badenoch did not contact Berger directly ahead of the decision.
Key Facts
- Joshua Bonehill-Paine was jailed for more than three years in 2015 for posting antisemitic material before a planned neo-Nazi rally.
- He was convicted in 2016 of racially aggravated harassment against Luciana Berger, then an MP.
- Badenoch's spokesperson says Bonehill-Paine will not receive a parliamentary pass or access to the Westminster estate.
- The Home Office disputes Badenoch's claim that it certified Bonehill-Paine to train police officers.
- The Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Jewish Leadership Council plan to meet the Conservative party to urge that the appointment be rescinded.
