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The UK's attorney general, one of the most senior Jewish ministers, has called on the Reform UK leader to issue an apology to school contemporaries who claim he targeted with racist abuse them during their years in education.

Hermer said that Farage had "undoubtedly deeply hurt" many people, judging by their accounts of his actions as a youth. He added that the leader's "shifting" denials had been difficult to believe.

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

Fresh Claims Emerge

A recent investigation last month detailed the testimony of more than a dozen ex-pupils of Farage from a private college.

One, Peter Ettedgui, recalled that a teenage Farage "came up to me and growl: ‘The Nazi leader was correct’ or ‘gas them’, sometimes adding a long hiss to simulate the sound of the Nazi gas chambers”.

Another pupil from an ethnic minority claimed that when he was roughly nine years old, he was singled out by a older Farage.

“He came over to a pupil accompanied by two equally tall mates and targeted anyone looking ‘other’,” the former student said. “That involved me on three separate times; questioning me where I was from, and pointing away, saying: ‘That’s the way back,’ to any place you answered you were from.”

Since then, others have come forward; approximately twenty people have now alleged they were either victims of or witnesses to highly inappropriate past behaviour by Farage.

The incidents they recounted cover the period when Farage was aged a teenager.

Denials and Shifting Positions

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

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

They also cite his failure to sanction a fellow Reform MP, Sarah Pochin, after she made remarks about the number of people of colour she saw in television commercials. She later expressed regret for the comments.

“His evolving narrative about his behaviour to his Jewish classmates [is] hard to believe, to say the least,” Hermer stated.

He continued: “Claiming that a group of people have all recalled incorrectly the same things about his nasty behaviour simply is not believable."

Demand for Accountability

“If he wishes to be seen as a legitimate candidate for the top job, he must acknowledge the fears of the Jewish community, and apologise to the numerous individuals he has obviously deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer stated.

“Prejudice in all its forms is abhorrent to the standards of this country and we must not permit it to ever become normalised in politics.”

In a different discussion, the Chancellor said Farage should “make a statement” if he wanted to appear as a real leader.

“It says a lot how very little he has to say, and the very careful language that both you and I would recognise as being drafted in a specific manner to communicate, but also not to say something,” she said.

Legal Letters and Later Statements

In formal correspondence before the release of the investigation, Farage’s lawyers stated that “the implication that Mr Farage ever took part in, supported, or led such conduct is categorically denied”.

Farage later appeared to change his stance in an appearance, stating: “Have I said things as a youth that you could view as being teenage humour, you could interpret in a modern light today in some way? Perhaps.”

He said that he had “not ever purposely really tried to go and upset anybody”. Farage afterwards put out a new statement: “I can tell you categorically that I did not say the things that have been reported as a 13-year-old, nearly 50 years ago.”