Joshua Bonehill-Paine, a former neo-Nazi activist convicted in 2016 of harassing then-Labour MP Luciana Berger with antisemitic abuse, has been selected as a Conservative candidate for Somerset Council's local elections next year. His selection has drawn scrutiny given his criminal history, though the party says it believes in rehabilitation while acknowledging his past actions were "indefensible".

Bonehill-Paine, who will stand for Crewkerne South, was found guilty of posting a string of anti-Jewish rants about Berger, calling her a "dominatrix" and "evil money-grabber" and sharing an image depicting her as a rat, among other offensive material. He now runs the satirical Crewkerne Gazette social media account and says he has spent eight years doing counter-extremism work with police, schools and universities. The Conservative Party said he was "rightly punished" and has since sought to make amends, adding that voters will ultimately decide his fate at the ballot box; the news comes as party leader Kemi Badenoch tightens candidate vetting ahead of the next general election.