Former neo-Nazi activist withdraws as Tory council candidate after backlash

A former neo-Nazi activist has withdrawn as a Conservative candidate in local elections after widespread criticism. Joshua Bonehill-Paine had been selected to stand for a council seat despite his past.

Seven outlets carried the story, with the Guardian, BBC and Mirror reporting the withdrawal came after a backlash. GB News noted that Kemi Badenoch had initially backed him. The Mirror also reported his claim that he had passed Reform UK's vetting process, though Reform has not confirmed this.

The episode raises the question of how candidate vetting works when the problem is not a skeleton in the cupboard but a matter of public record. The Conservative Party operates a central candidates' list, and local associations select from it - but the final say on endorsement rests with Conservative Campaign Headquarters, which can withdraw support. That power was exercised here, but only after the selection became public.

The machinery is designed to catch this sort of thing early. When it does not, the correction happens in the press rather than in the vetting room - and the party wears the story either way.

What to watch: whether the Conservative Party publishes any change to its vetting procedures, and whether any other party comments on its own processes in response.