Badenoch Defends Tory Candidate Jailed in 2016 for Harassing Jewish MP

3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Aug 4

Kemi Badenoch said the Conservatives stand by local election candidate Joshua Bonehill-Paine, arguing he has shown contrition, been rehabilitated and now works to help communities.
Bonehill-Paine was jailed in 2016 after conviction for racially aggravated harassment of former Labour MP Luciana Berger, whom he called “an evil money-grabber” and said Jewish Labour MPs were a “problem.”
Badenoch, pressed by reporters during a Surrey visit accompanying a police raid, framed the selection as a case of giving “second chances” rather than backing “just someone who’s a convicted criminal.”
The defence keeps focus on the Conservatives’ vetting and judgment after selecting a candidate with prior antisemitic offences, including an earlier jailing over an ad featuring Auschwitz.