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The UK's attorney general, one of the most senior Jewish ministers, has urged the Reform UK leader to apologise to former schoolmates who assert he targeted with racist abuse them during their school days.

Hermer remarked that Farage had "obviously deeply hurt" many people, judging by their descriptions of his actions as a youth. He added that the politician's "constantly changing" explanations had been less than credible.

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

New Allegations Emerge

A series of inquiries last month detailed the testimony of several one-time schoolmates of Farage from a south London school.

One, a former pupil, recalled that a teenage Farage "came up to me and utter: ‘Hitler was right’ or ‘send them to the gas chambers’, at times making a long hiss to mimic the sound of the Nazi gas chambers”.

Another pupil from an ethnic minority alleged that when he was about nine, he was subjected to similar treatment by a 17-year-old Farage.

“He came over to a pupil flanked by two tall mates and targeted anyone looking ‘other’,” the person said. “That happened to me on three occasions; inquiring where I was from, and pointing away, saying: ‘That's how you get back,’ to any place you said you were from.”

After the story broke, more people have emerged; about 20 people have now alleged they were either victims of or witnesses to highly inappropriate actions by Farage.

The alleged events they described relate to the period when Farage was aged 13 to 18.

Denials and Shifting Positions

The political figure has disputed that anything he did was "directly" racist or antisemitic, and has claimed the former classmates were misremembering.

Observers have pointed out that Farage has not managed to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism in a wider sense in his responses.

They also reference his inability to discipline a party member, Sarah Pochin, after she made remarks about the number of black and brown people she saw in adverts. She later apologised for the comments.

“Nigel Farage’s evolving narrative about his behaviour to his peers [is] not credible, to say the least,” Hermer stated.

He continued: “Suggesting that 20 people have somehow misremembered the same things about his nasty behaviour simply lacks credibility."

Call for Leadership

“If he wishes to be seen as a credible figure for high office, he has to address the anxieties 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 completely opposed to the standards of this country and we must not permit it to ever become accepted in public life.”

In a separate interview, Rachel Reeves said Farage should “speak out” if he wanted to appear as a real leader.

“It speaks volumes how little he has to say, and the very careful language that both you and I would understand as being drafted in a certain style to say something, but also not to say something,” she said.

Formal Denials and Subsequent Comments

In formal correspondence prior to the publication of the investigation, Farage’s legal team asserted that “the suggestion that Mr Farage ever was involved in, approved of, or led such conduct is categorically denied”.

Farage later appeared to change his position in an appearance, remarking: “Have I said things as a youth that you could see as being playground talk, you could interpret in a contemporary context today in some sort of way? Perhaps.”

He commented that he had “not ever purposely really tried to go and harm anybody”. Farage subsequently put out a new statement: “I can tell you definitely that I did not say the things that have been published when I was 13, decades in the past.”