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The UK's attorney general, one of the most senior Jewish ministers, has demanded the Reform UK leader to apologise to school contemporaries who allege he racially abused them during their years in education.

Hermer remarked that Farage had "clearly deeply hurt" many people, based on their testimonies of his past behaviour. He commented that the leader's "shifting" statements had been unconvincing.

“During his replies to valid inquiries, not once has Farage actually condemned antisemitism,” Hermer informed a news outlet.

Fresh Claims Come to Light

A series of inquiries last month documented the accounts of more than a dozen ex-pupils of Farage from Dulwich College.

One, Peter Ettedgui, said that a 13-year-old Farage "came up to me and say: ‘The Nazi leader was correct’ or ‘gas them’, occasionally including a long hiss to imitate the sound of the gas showers”.

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

“He approached a pupil accompanied by two equally tall mates and addressed anyone looking ‘unusual’,” the person said. “That happened to me on three occasions; questioning me where I was from, and motioning, saying: ‘That’s the way back,’ to any place you answered you were from.”

Since then, more people have come forward; approximately twenty people have now alleged they were either targets of or witnesses to hurtful actions by Farage.

The alleged events they outlined cover the period when Farage was aged a teenager.

Evolving Explanations

The Reform leader has denied that anything he did was "directly" racist or antisemitic, and has claimed the former classmates were being untruthful.

Critics have noted that Farage has neglected to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism more broadly in his responses.

They also point to his failure to sanction a party member, a MP, after she made remarks about the number of ethnic minorities she saw in television commercials. She later said sorry for the comments.

“Nigel Farage’s evolving narrative about his behaviour to his Jewish classmates [is] unconvincing, to say the least,” Hermer said.

He continued: “Suggesting that a group of people have all recalled incorrectly the same things about his offensive behaviour simply lacks credibility."

Demand for Accountability

“If he wishes to be seen as a serious contender for high office, he must acknowledge the concerns of the Jewish community, and say sorry to the many people he has clearly deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer stated.

“Racism in all its forms is abhorrent to the standards of this country and we should not let it to ever become normalised in politics.”

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

“It says a lot how very little he has to say, and the guarded phrasing that both you and I would understand as being crafted in a particular way to communicate, but also dodge the issue,” she said.

Legal Letters and Later Statements

In lawyers' communications before the publication of the report, Farage’s representatives asserted that “the suggestion that Mr Farage ever was involved in, approved of, or led racist or antisemitic behaviour is categorically denied”.

Farage later seemingly shifted his stance in an interview, remarking: “Did I say things 50 years ago that you could view as being banter, you could interpret in a today's standards today in some sort of way? Possibly.”

He commented that he had “not once intentionally really tried to go and hurt anybody”. Farage afterwards issued a fresh denial: “I can tell you categorically that I did not say the things that have been published as a 13-year-old, so long ago.”