Reform has said that its barristers have reported Joshua Bonehill-Paine, the prospective council candidate in the Crewkerne South by-election, to the Electoral Commission. They want the quango to intervene…
Reform says: “The party has queried whether AI videos published by him on the ‘Crewkerne Man’ and ‘Crewkerne Gazette’ accounts has been commissioned on behalf of the Conservative Party rather than in his capacity as an ordinary member of the public, and therefore should carry a digital imprint.“ Stirring the pot…
Bonehill-Paine was jailed for more than three years after antisemitic material online and he was found guilty in 2016 of racially aggravated harassment of Baroness Luciana Berger. He now does counter-extremist work…
The President of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, which was offered a meeting with Bonehill-Paine by the Tories, has instead said Kemi Badenoch must remove him as a Tory council candidate: “I don’t think any political party should want tie themselves to these behaviours.” Kemi defended him this morning…
UPDATE: Candidate withdraws. Says he will become an adviser to the Tory Culture and Integration Commission focussing on radicalisation instead.
Asked by Lobby hacks about his past comments on Trump (“any UK politician who gave Trump the time of day should be ashamed right now”) Burnham was blithe:
“Politicians say things throughout their career, but now the important thing is to focus on the moment you are in.”
Were it so easy…