Luciana Berger, a Labour peer and former MP, has publicly called on Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch to reverse the decision to appoint Joshua Bonehill-Paine, a convicted former neo-Nazi, as an adviser to the party's culture and integration commission. Berger, who was the target of Bonehill-Paine's racially aggravated harassment in 2016, stated that she is still affected by his crimes more than nine years later and questioned the safeguarding checks carried out by Badenoch and the Conservative party.
Background of the Conviction
Bonehill-Paine was jailed in 2015 for over three years after posting antisemitic material online prior to a planned neo-Nazi rally. In 2016, he was found guilty of racially aggravated harassment for abuse directed at Berger, who was then the MP for Liverpool Wavertree. He also founded and led the National British Resistance, a far-right group. His criminal record includes convictions for assaulting a police officer, burglary of a police station, and malicious communications in 2014 over an anti-Islam hoax that led to death threats against pub owners in Leicester.
Berger, who is Jewish, expressed concern that Bonehill-Paine's new role could bring him to Westminster. She wrote on X: "Can I expect to come face to face with him on the parliamentary estate?" In response, a spokesperson for Badenoch confirmed that Bonehill-Paine would not have a parliamentary pass and would not be on the estate.
Badenoch's Defense and Reactions
Badenoch published a lengthy defense of Bonehill-Paine in the Times, describing questions over his suitability to stand as a councillor in Somerset as a "pile-on." Bonehill-Paine had been set to stand as a Tory local councillor but withdrew from next year's local elections after being offered the advisory role. Badenoch stated: "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."
Berger, who saw the piece late on Saturday night and initially tried to ignore it, accused Badenoch of giving insufficient consideration to Bonehill-Paine's victims after Badenoch shared the article on Monday. Berger wrote: "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.
"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."
Safeguarding and Rehabilitation
A spokesperson for Badenoch said that Bonehill-Paine had served his time, completed Home Office Prevent (counter-terrorism) courses, and had gone into schools to teach about combatting antisemitism and extremism. However, the party did not answer questions about what safeguarding checks were carried out in relation to his appointment as an adviser, or why Badenoch had not contacted Berger.
Berger challenged Badenoch over safeguarding: "Badenoch's article says she wants to safeguard the public and victims, but what safeguarding checks have she and the Conservative party carried out?" If Badenoch or her team had reached out to her, Berger said, "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."
She added: "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."
Impact and Implications
This controversy highlights the ongoing tensions within the Conservative party over its approach to extremism and rehabilitation. Berger's intervention underscores the deep personal impact of Bonehill-Paine's crimes, which included calling her a "rodent" and an "evil money-grabber." The case raises questions about the vetting processes for political appointments and the balance between rehabilitation and public trust.
As the debate continues, Berger's call for Badenoch to "listen to victims" resonates with broader concerns about the handling of individuals with extremist pasts in public roles. The Conservative party has yet to provide further details on the safeguarding measures in place, leaving the issue unresolved.
