- Joshua Bonehill-Paine has been criticised by BBC and Independent for his candidacy for the Somerset Council seat in Crewkerne South, after allegedly making critical comments about the role of radicalisation in the country.
- Bonehill-Paine, who ran for election as part of the party Conservative Party, was accused of an anti-extremism role in the UK by the Home Office, which said his remarks were not appropriate.
- Independent also reports that the Home Office said it does not certify individuals to deliver training, after Bonehill-Paine said Kemi Badenoch had urged him to apply for such certification.
Joshua Bonehill-Paine, a self-described “radicalisation expert”, who is the Conservative Party candidate for the Somerset Council seat in Crewkerne South, has faced criticism. BBC and Independent have reported on the issue.
According to the BBC, Bonehill-Paine was previously suspended from Labour for alleged antisemitic comments in 2016, and also had been suspended from the party for alleged racist remarks. Independent says he was suspended in 2015 over alleged antisemitic comments made by Luciana Berger, which the paper says were “racist”.
BBC reports that Kemi Badenoch, who defended Bonehill-Paine’s candidacy, said that she believed in “second chances”. Independent also says Badenoch argued that the role of radicalisation in the UK should be addressed.
Independent reports that Bonehill-Paine, citing BBC, has posted a photo of the Conservative Party candidate’s certificate. In a social media post, he wrote that he had been told by the Culture and Integration Commission that the radicalisation expert’s “youth” should be able to deliver training. Independent adds that the candidate said he would be able to deliver training as part of the anti-extremism programme.
Independent says Bonehill-Paine claimed to have obtained an “Home Office certification for my counter-extremism work” and that this was the certification that Kemi Badenoch had promised him. In a statement published by Independent, it quotes: “The Home Office does not certify individuals to deliver training.” Independent also reports that the Home Office said it does not have a certification for Civil Society Organisations that might be used to deliver training on countering extremism, which is delivered by the organisations themselves.
BBC adds that it could not verify Bonehill-Paine’s claim. Independent also says the Conservative Party declined to comment.
Luciana Berger, who has said she is a member of the Labour Party and is also known as Baroness Berger, said she was “insulted” by the BBC after it said she was “no better than allowing him to stand as a council candidate”. Independent says it has rejected the party’s claims and that it was “unacceptable” for her to be compared to him.
According to the BBC, Ed Miliband, the former leader of the Labour Party, said Bonehill-Paine “should never have been a candidate” after comments made by Luciana Berger, who said the Conservative Party candidate should not have been allowed to run. Independent also says it has criticised the candidate, with Sir Ed Davey and Bridget Phillipson saying they do not support Kemi Badenoch.