Labour peer Luciana Berger has urged Kemi Badenoch to reverse her decision to appoint a former neo-Nazi, Joshua Bonehill-Paine, to a national advisory role within the Conservative party. Berger, a victim of Bonehill-Paine's past harassment, questioned the safeguarding checks involved.
The controversy highlights the tension between rehabilitation and past offenses in political appointments, raising questions about safeguarding and the suitability of individuals with extremist backgrounds for advisory roles within political parties.
Labour peer Luciana Berger has publicly urged Kemi Badenoch to reconsider the decision to grant a national advisory role to Joshua Bonehill-Paine, a former neo-Nazi. Bonehill-Paine was previously jailed for over three years in 2015 for posting antisemitic material online and was found guilty in 2016 of racially aggravated harassment against Berger.
Berger, who was an MP at the time of the harassment, stated that she is still affected by his crimes more than nine years later. She questioned the safeguarding checks conducted by Badenoch and the Conservative party regarding Bonehill-Paine's appointment to the party’s culture and integration commission, expressing concern that the role could bring him onto the parliamentary estate.
Kemi Badenoch defended the decision in a published article, framing it as a matter of personal responsibility and law and order, and emphasizing the importance of rehabilitation. She suggested that questions over Bonehill-Paine's suitability were a "pile-on." Badenoch stated that the Conservative party under her leadership is committed to punishing wrongdoing and protecting victims.
In response, Berger accused Badenoch of giving insufficient consideration to the victims, noting that the judge's sentencing remarks detailed the lives Bonehill-Paine had destroyed. Berger questioned whether Badenoch had read these remarks and reiterated her call for the decision to be reversed, stating that rehabilitation is one thing, but a conviction for neo-Nazi misogynistic crimes makes him unsuitable for public office or a national advisory role.
A spokesperson for Badenoch confirmed that Bonehill-Paine would not receive a parliamentary pass and would not be on the parliamentary estate. The spokesperson also stated that Bonehill-Paine had served his time, completed Home Office Prevent courses, and had engaged in educational efforts against antisemitism and extremism. However, the party did not provide details on specific safeguarding checks for his advisory role or explain why Badenoch had not contacted Berger.