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The UK's top law officer, one of the most senior Jewish ministers, has urged the Reform UK leader to issue an apology to former schoolmates who allege he targeted with racist abuse them during their school days.

Hermer said that Farage had "undoubtedly deeply hurt" many people, based on their descriptions of his past behaviour. He added that the politician's "shifting" statements had been unconvincing.

“Throughout his defensive responses to legitimate questions, not once has Farage genuinely condemned antisemitism,” Hermer told a publication.

New Allegations Come to Light

A published report last month documented the testimony of several ex-pupils of Farage from a private college.

One, a former pupil, described that a teenage Farage "would sidle up to me and utter: ‘Hitler was right’ or ‘send them to the gas chambers’, sometimes adding 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 singled out by a 17-year-old Farage.

“He walked up to a pupil flanked by two similarly tall mates and spoke to anyone looking ‘different’,” the former student said. “That happened to me on three separate times; inquiring where I was from, and pointing away, saying: ‘Go back that way,’ to wherever you replied you were from.”

Since then, additional individuals have emerged; around two dozen people have now claimed they were either victims of or witnesses to hurtful past behaviour by Farage.

The alleged events they recounted cover the period when Farage was aged 13 to 18.

Evolving Explanations

The political figure has denied that anything he did was "directly" racist or antisemitic, and has asserted the accusers were not telling the truth.

Critics have noted that Farage has not managed to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism more broadly in his denials.

They also cite his inability to sanction a fellow Reform MP, a MP, after she made remarks about the number of people of colour she saw in adverts. She later expressed regret for the remarks.

“Nigel Farage’s evolving narrative about his behaviour to his peers [is] hard to believe, to say the least,” Hermer commented.

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

Question of Character

“If he wants to be seen as a serious contender for prime minister, he urgently needs acknowledge the fears of the Jewish people, and apologise to the those he has clearly deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer concluded.

“Racism in all its forms is abhorrent to the values of this country and we must not permit it to ever become normalised in society.”

In a different discussion, a senior politician said Farage should “say something” if he wanted to be considered 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 identify as being drafted in a specific manner to communicate, but also dodge the issue,” she remarked.

Formal Denials and Subsequent Comments

In lawyers' communications prior to the publication of the report, Farage’s representatives asserted that “the implication that Mr Farage ever was involved in, condoned, or led this behaviour is categorically denied”.

Farage later appeared to change his position in an appearance, remarking: “Did I say things decades ago that you could interpret as being banter, 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 later put out a fresh denial: “I can tell you definitely that I did not say the things that have been printed as a 13-year-old, nearly 50 years ago.”