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The United Kingdom's top law officer, one of the most senior Jewish ministers, has demanded the Reform UK leader to apologise to school contemporaries who assert he racially abused them during their time at school.

Hermer remarked that Farage had "obviously deeply hurt" many people, judging by their testimonies of his past behaviour. He noted that the leader's "shifting" statements had been difficult to believe.

“During his replies to legitimate questions, not once has Farage genuinely condemned antisemitism,” Hermer informed a publication.

New Allegations Emerge

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

One, Peter Ettedgui, said that a 13-year-old Farage "would sidle up to me and growl: ‘Hitler was right’ or ‘send them to the gas chambers’, occasionally including a long hiss to imitate the sound of the Nazi gas chambers”.

Another pupil from an ethnic minority stated that when he was roughly nine years old, he was similarly targeted by a older Farage.

“He approached a pupil flanked by two equally tall mates and targeted anyone looking ‘unusual’,” the former student said. “That included me on three separate times; asking me where I was from, and pointing away, saying: ‘Go back that way,’ to wherever you answered you were from.”

Following the initial report, additional individuals have emerged; around two dozen people have now claimed they were either subject to or witnesses to hurtful actions by Farage.

The incidents they recounted relate to the period when Farage was aged between 13 and 18.

Changing Stories

The Reform leader has disputed that anything he did was "blatantly" racist or antisemitic, and has suggested the former classmates were being untruthful.

Critics have noted that Farage has failed to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism in a wider sense in his statements.

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

“Nigel Farage’s constantly changing story about his behaviour to his schoolmates [is] unconvincing, to say the least,” Hermer commented.

He continued: “Arguing that a group of people have somehow misremembered the same things about his nasty behaviour simply is not believable."

Question of Character

“If he aspires to be seen as a serious contender for the top job, he urgently needs acknowledge the anxieties of the Jewish community, and say sorry to the many people he has clearly deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer concluded.

“Bigotry in all its forms is abhorrent to the values of this country and we cannot allow it to ever become normalised in politics.”

In a different discussion, Rachel Reeves said Farage should “speak out” if he wanted to be considered a real leader.

“It says a lot how little he has to say, and the precisely drafted words that both you and I would understand as being written in a particular way to communicate, but also avoid saying certain things,” she noted.

Formal Denials and Subsequent Comments

In legal letters prior to the publication of the investigation, Farage’s lawyers claimed that “the suggestion that Mr Farage ever was involved in, approved of, or led this behaviour is completely refuted”.

Farage later appeared to change his position in an appearance, stating: “Did I say things 50 years ago that you could view as being teenage humour, you could interpret in a modern light today in a certain manner? Possibly.”

He added that he had “not once intentionally sought to go and upset anybody”. Farage subsequently released a new statement: “I can tell you definitely that I did not say the things that have been printed aged 13, nearly 50 years ago.”