Home Office denies certifying Joshua Bonehill-Paine for counter-extremism training

The Home Office has refuted claims by Kemi Badenoch that Joshua Bonehill-Paine was certified to train police officers on antisemitism and counter-extremism. A Home Office spokesperson told the *Evening Standard* that the department does not certify individuals for such roles. Instead, it provides funding to civil society organisations, which may use individuals to deliver training commissioned by local authorities.

Badenoch, the Conservative Party leader, had earlier told reporters that Bonehill-Paine had been certified by the Home Office for this work. The claim was made in defence of his appointment as an adviser to the party’s culture and integration commission, focusing on radicalisation among young men. Bonehill-Paine withdrew as a Conservative candidate for Somerset Council’s Crewkerne South seat in 2025 after facing criticism over his past convictions.

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Convictions and controversy

Bonehill-Paine was convicted in 2016 of racially aggravated harassment against Labour peer Baroness Luciana Berger, who is Jewish. He wrote multiple blog posts targeting her, including one that described the number of Jewish Labour MPs as a "problem". He was also jailed for producing an advert for a neo-Nazi rally in Golders Green, north London, which featured an image of Auschwitz and promised "an absolute gas".

In a statement this week, Bonehill-Paine said he had "no excuses" for his past actions and had since dedicated himself to challenging antisemitism. However, his appointment as a Conservative adviser has drawn sharp criticism. Labour’s Ed Miliband said the party had questions to answer, while Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey accused Badenoch of an "outrageous lack of judgment".

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“If we are going to stop extremism and antisemitism we are going to need help from those people who were part of the problem, but have now changed and are being part of the solution.”

Kemi Badenoch, Conservative Party leader

Baroness Berger called the appointment an "insult", while Reform UK described it as "beggars belief". Phil Rosenberg, president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, took a different view. He said the advisory role was more appropriate than Bonehill-Paine standing as a local politician, though he had previously declined an offer from the Conservatives to meet him.

What happens next

Bonehill-Paine will now work with the Conservatives’ culture and integration commission, focusing on radicalisation among young men. It is unclear whether the Home Office will take any further action regarding Badenoch’s claim. The Conservative Party has not responded to requests for clarification on how Bonehill-Paine’s past was assessed before his appointment.