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The UK's top law officer, Richard Hermer, has urged the Reform UK leader to apologise to school contemporaries who allege he racially abused them during their school days.

Hermer said that Farage had "clearly deeply hurt" many people, based on their descriptions of his alleged conduct. He added that the leader's "shifting" denials had been difficult to believe.

“In his defensive responses to valid inquiries, not once has Farage truly condemned antisemitism,” Hermer stated to a publication.

Fresh Claims Emerge

A published report last month detailed the testimony of over a dozen former classmates of Farage from a private college.

One, Peter Ettedgui, described that a teenage Farage "came up to me and growl: ‘Hitler was right’ or ‘gas them’, sometimes adding a long hiss to mimic the sound of the Nazi gas chambers”.

Another student of colour claimed that when he was roughly nine years old, he was similarly targeted by a older Farage.

“He came over to a pupil with two tall mates and addressed anyone looking ‘other’,” the person said. “That involved me on three occasions; inquiring where I was from, and gesturing, saying: ‘Go back that way,’ to any place you replied you were from.”

Since then, additional individuals have emerged; around two dozen people have now alleged they were either subject to or saw deeply offensive actions by Farage.

The behaviour they described span the period when Farage was aged between 13 and 18.

Changing Stories

The political figure has denied that anything he did was "explicitly" racist or antisemitic, and has asserted the individuals were misremembering.

Observers have pointed out that Farage has failed to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism outright in his responses.

They also cite his inability to sanction a colleague in his party, a MP, after she made remarks about the number of ethnic minorities she saw in adverts. She later apologised for the statements.

“Nigel Farage’s constantly changing story about his behaviour to his Jewish classmates [is] not credible, to say the least,” Hermer commented.

He went on to say: “Suggesting that a group of people have somehow forgotten the same things about his hurtful behaviour simply isn’t credible."

Demand for Accountability

“If he wants to be seen as a credible figure for high office, he must address the fears of the Jewish community, and say sorry to the numerous individuals he has obviously deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer said.

“Prejudice in all its forms is abhorrent to the standards of this country and we cannot allow it to ever become accepted in society.”

In a different discussion, Rachel Reeves said Farage should “speak out” if he wanted to look like a genuine leader.

“It speaks volumes how very little he has to say, and the very careful language that both you and I would identify as being written in a specific manner to communicate, but also dodge the issue,” she remarked.

Formal Denials and Subsequent Comments

In legal letters prior to the publication of the report, Farage’s legal team stated that “the implication that Mr Farage ever was involved in, supported, or led this behaviour is completely refuted”.

Farage later seemingly shifted his stance in an interview, saying: “Did I say things 50 years ago that you could see as being teenage humour, you could interpret in a today's standards today in a certain manner? Perhaps.”

He commented that he had “not once intentionally sought to go and upset anybody”. Farage afterwards issued a fresh denial: “I can tell you definitely that I did not say the things that have been reported when I was 13, so long ago.”