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The UK's top law officer, 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 time at school.

Hermer stated that Farage had "clearly deeply hurt" many people, according to their accounts of his alleged conduct. He noted that the politician's "evolving" denials had been less than credible.

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

Fresh Claims Come to Light

A series of inquiries last month detailed the statements of several one-time schoolmates of Farage from Dulwich College.

One, a former pupil, recalled that a 13-year-old Farage "came 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 student of colour stated that when he was roughly nine years old, he was subjected to similar treatment by a 17-year-old Farage.

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

After the story broke, more people have stepped forward; around two dozen people have now alleged they were either targets of or saw deeply offensive past behaviour by Farage.

The behaviour they described relate to the period when Farage was aged a teenager.

Denials and Shifting Positions

The Reform leader has denied that anything he did was "explicitly" racist or antisemitic, and has suggested the individuals were being untruthful.

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

They also reference his failure to sanction a party member, Sarah Pochin, after she expressed views about the number of ethnic minorities she saw in adverts. She later apologised for the statements.

“Nigel Farage’s shifting account about his behaviour to his peers [is] unconvincing, to say the least,” Hermer stated.

He went on to say: “Suggesting that 20 people have all misremembered the same things about his offensive behaviour simply isn’t credible."

Demand for Accountability

“If he wishes to be seen as a credible figure for high office, he urgently needs acknowledge the concerns of the Jewish people, and apologise to the many people he has clearly deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer said.

“Prejudice in all its forms is anathema to the principles of this country and we should not let it to ever become legitimised in public life.”

In a other comments, the Chancellor said Farage should “make a statement” if he wanted to be considered a real leader.

“It is very telling how little he has to say, and the precisely drafted words that both you and I would understand as being drafted in a certain style to say something, but also dodge the issue,” she remarked.

Legal Letters and Later Statements

In legal letters before the publication of the report, Farage’s legal team asserted that “the implication that Mr Farage ever took part in, approved of, or led such conduct is strongly rejected”.

Farage later appeared to change his stance 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? Yes.”

He commented that he had “never directly sought to go and upset anybody”. Farage later released a further comment: “I can tell you categorically that I did not say the things that have been reported when I was 13, nearly 50 years ago.”