A former neo-Nazi selected by the Conservatives to fight a council election next year has pulled out after a backlash against his candidacy.
Joshua Bonehill-Paine was jailed for posting antisemitic material ahead of a planned neo-Nazi rally and a year later he was also convicted of racially harassing then-Labour MP Luciana Berger.
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch had defended the decision to select him as a candidate in Somerset, saying he had been rehabilitated and her party “believes in second chances”.
But Bonehill-Paine said he had now withdrawn his candidacy, adding that opposition parties would “spend all their time focusing on my past”.
He added that Badenoch had instead offered him a position as an adviser to the party’s Culture and Integration Commission, focusing “on how young men become radicalised”.
He has described his past views as “indefensible” and says he has spent years opposing antisemitism since leaving prison.
In a statement, he added: “Rather than standing as a local council candidate, I believe that my experience is better used supporting Kemi Badenoch in her ongoing mission to combat the antisemitism and extremism”.
In a social media post, Badenoch said: “While I am sad that Joshua feels he won’t be given the space to explain his position and represent his community, I am glad he is going to work with me and the party on tackling radicalisation.”
“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,” she added.
“Piling on them and trying to get them cancelled may be sport for other parties, but this is a different Conservative Party.”