Conservative Party leader accused of propaganda AI-generated video created by a notorious far-right figure imprisoned for hate crimes against Jews.
Rebecca Harris has reposted a new Crewkerne Gazette skit about Kemi Badenoch and her shadow justice secretary Nick Timothy as characters from the gangster movie Scarface.
The online satirical account had a large following online until last month when it was revealed that its creator was Joshua Bonehill Payne. Joshua Bonehill Payne is an activist who previously described himself as a “nationalist, fascist, theorist, and supporter of white rights.”
It also emerged that Bonehill-Payne claims to be a member of the Conservative Party despite a history of far-right activity and convictions ranging from assaulting Jewish Labor MPs to racially aggravated harassment.
In the account’s latest skit, Timothy’s AI-generated avatar sings, “Push it to the limit.” The skit was made after the MP was accused of Islamophobia after claiming that an Islamic prayer event in Trafalgar Square was oppressive and un-British.
Mr Harris, the MP for Castlepoint, was appointed Conservative Party leader by Mr Badenoch in 2024, a role in which he is responsible for party discipline.
Asked about her sharing of the content, a Conservative Party spokesperson said: “The Crewkerne Gazette is seen as a fun, satirical X-account that makes funny and topical videos that are broadcast on all UK mainstream television stations, including the BBC, and hosted on most newspaper websites.”
The party has been asked to comment on Mr Bonehill-Payne’s current claims to be a member.
Harris’ promotion of the clip was criticized by Alex Barros-Curtis, the Labor MP for Cardiff West, who previously said Bonehill Payne was using “AI slop” to defend Nigel Farage and stoke fears about immigration.
“This shows a real lack of judgment on the part of Kemi Badenoch’s closest allies, at a time when senior Tories have been spreading vile insults against Muslims over the past week,” Barros-Curtis said.
“This highlights the alarming depths to which the Conservative Party has sunk. They have learned no lessons from their election loss. They simply cannot be trusted to unite communities across this country.”
The Crewkerne Gazette account has previously created AI videos depicting politicians such as Keir Starmer, Angela Rayner and Andy Burnham singing popular songs by artists such as Amy Winehouse, Barry Manilow and Elton John with altered politically-themed lyrics.
Bonehill-Payne has previous convictions for assaulting a police officer and robbing a police station, and was found guilty in 2014 of malicious communication over anti-Muslim rumors that led to death threats against pub owners in Leicester.
He was jailed for more than three years in 2015 for posting “vile” anti-Semitic material online ahead of a planned neo-Nazi rally.
In 2016, he was found guilty of racially aggravated harassment for his abuse of then-Jewish Labor MP Luciana Berger, which included posting messages on his blog calling her a “rodent” and “evil money grabber”. His past far-right activities include being the founder and leader of the far-right group National British Resistance.
Mr Bonehill-Payne told the Guardian his past was “not a secret” and he said politicians from a variety of political parties were involved with the Crewkerne Gazette, which he said had generated topical satirical content. He said: “I deeply regret and am sorry for my past and the hurt I have caused the Jewish community.
“I am certainly a fully paid Conservative Party member and it was under a Conservative government that my rehabilitation was successfully facilitated, for which I remain grateful,” he said.
Asked whether he had declared any past convictions or ties to far-right political groups, he said: “There is no place to declare any criminal record or former political affiliations. I am not a candidate or a candidate. In that case, of course there would be an investigation and a conviction.”
