- Joshua Bonehill-Paine, a former neo-Nazi convicted of racially aggravated harassment against Luciana Berger, was initially selected as a Conservative council election candidate.
- He withdrew his candidacy but was subsequently appointed as an adviser to Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch on the party's culture and integration commission, focusing on radicalisation.
- Bonehill-Paine claimed to hold 'Home Office certification' for his counter-extremism work, a claim repeated by Ms Badenoch.
- The Home Office has refuted these claims, stating it does not certify individuals to deliver training, though it funds Civil Society Organisations for such work.
- The appointment has drawn strong criticism from Baroness Luciana Berger, who called it an 'insult,' and from Labour and Liberal Democrat leaders, who questioned Ms Badenoch's judgment.
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