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The UK's attorney general, one of the most senior Jewish ministers, has demanded the Reform UK leader to apologise to school contemporaries who allege he racially abused them during their time at school.

Hermer remarked that Farage had "clearly deeply hurt" many people, based on their testimonies of his past behaviour. He added that the politician's "constantly changing" statements had been difficult to believe.

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

Further Testimonies Surface

A published report last month documented the testimony of more than a dozen former classmates of Farage from a private college.

One, Peter Ettedgui, described that a 13-year-old Farage "would approach me and say: ‘The Nazi leader was correct’ or ‘gas them’, sometimes adding a long hiss to mimic the sound of the Nazi gas chambers”.

Another pupil from an ethnic minority claimed that when he was roughly nine years old, he was subjected to similar treatment by a 17-year-old Farage.

“He walked up to a pupil accompanied by two equally tall mates and spoke to anyone looking ‘other’,” the person said. “That involved me on three occasions; asking me where I was from, and pointing away, saying: ‘Go back that way,’ to any place you replied you were from.”

Since then, additional individuals have stepped forward; about 20 people have now alleged they were either targets of or witnesses to highly inappropriate actions by Farage.

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

Changing Stories

The Reform leader has rejected that anything he did was "blatantly" racist or antisemitic, and has suggested the former classmates were not telling the truth.

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

They also point to his reluctance to discipline a colleague in his party, a MP, after she complained about the number of ethnic minorities she saw in adverts. She later expressed regret for the remarks.

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

He went on to say: “Claiming that 20 people have somehow forgotten the same things about his nasty behaviour simply is not believable."

Demand for Accountability

“If he aspires to be seen as a credible figure for the top job, he urgently needs confront the concerns of the Jewish people, and say sorry to the many people he has obviously deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer said.

“Bigotry in all its forms is completely opposed to the standards of this country and we should not let it to ever become legitimised in society.”

In a separate interview, Rachel Reeves said Farage should “speak out” if he wanted to look like a genuine 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 certain style to say something, but also dodge the issue,” she remarked.

Legal Letters and Later Statements

In formal correspondence prior to the release of the investigation, Farage’s representatives stated that “the implication that Mr Farage ever engaged in, supported, or led such conduct is strongly rejected”.

Farage later seemingly shifted his explanation in an discussion, stating: “Have I said things as a youth that you could interpret as being playground talk, you could interpret in a today's standards today in some sort of way? Possibly.”

He said that he had “not once intentionally really tried to go and upset anybody”. Farage later released a new statement: “I can tell you unequivocally that I did not say the things that have been reported as a 13-year-old, nearly 50 years ago.”