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The UK's attorney general, one of the most senior Jewish ministers, has called on the Reform UK leader to apologise to school contemporaries who assert he racially abused them during their school days.

Hermer stated that Farage had "clearly deeply hurt" many people, based on their testimonies of his alleged conduct. He commented that the politician's "shifting" statements had been unconvincing.

“In his answers to legitimate questions, not once has Farage truly condemned antisemitism,” Hermer told a news outlet.

Fresh Claims Emerge

A series of inquiries last month documented the testimony of over a dozen one-time schoolmates of Farage from a private college.

One, a former pupil, described that a teenage Farage "would approach me and growl: ‘Hitler was right’ or ‘gas them’, at times making 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 singled out by a 17-year-old Farage.

“He approached a pupil accompanied by two similarly tall mates and targeted anyone looking ‘unusual’,” the individual said. “That included me on three occasions; asking me where I was from, and gesturing, saying: ‘That’s the way back,’ to wherever you said you were from.”

After the story broke, more people have emerged; around two dozen people have now alleged they were either targets of or witnesses to highly inappropriate conduct by Farage.

The alleged events they described cover the period when Farage was aged a teenager.

Changing Stories

The Reform leader has rejected that anything he did was "explicitly" racist or antisemitic, and has claimed the individuals were misremembering.

Commentators have pointed out that Farage has failed to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism outright in his statements.

They also reference his inability to sanction a party member, a MP, after she expressed views about the number of people of colour she saw in adverts. She later expressed regret for the remarks.

“His shifting account about his behaviour to his schoolmates [is] unconvincing, to say the least,” Hermer stated.

He went on to say: “Claiming that 20 people have all recalled incorrectly the same things about his offensive behaviour simply lacks credibility."

Call for Leadership

“If he aspires to be seen as a legitimate candidate for high office, he has to confront the anxieties of the Jewish community, and apologise to the numerous individuals he has obviously deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer said.

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

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

“It is very telling how little he has to say, and the precisely drafted words that both you and I would recognise as being written in a specific manner to communicate, but also avoid saying certain things,” she said.

Legal Letters and Later Statements

In formal correspondence prior to the release of the investigation, Farage’s representatives asserted that “the allegation that Mr Farage ever took part in, condoned, or led racist or antisemitic behaviour is completely refuted”.

Farage later altered his stance in an discussion, remarking: “Have I said things as a youth that you could see as being banter, you could interpret in a modern light today in some way? Yes.”

He added that he had “never directly attempted to go and upset anybody”. Farage later released a fresh denial: “I can tell you categorically that I did not say the things that have been printed when I was 13, so long ago.”