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The United Kingdom's top law officer, Richard Hermer, has called on the Reform UK leader to apologise to former schoolmates who assert he targeted with racist abuse them during their years in education.

Hermer stated that Farage had "obviously deeply hurt" many people, judging by their descriptions of his actions as a youth. He added that the politician's "evolving" explanations had been difficult to believe.

“In his replies to legitimate questions, not once has Farage actually condemned antisemitism,” Hermer informed a news outlet.

Further Testimonies Emerge

A series of inquiries last month outlined the accounts of more than a dozen one-time schoolmates of Farage from a private college.

One, Peter Ettedgui, recalled that a 13-year-old Farage "would approach me and say: ‘The Nazi leader was correct’ 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 claimed that when he was about nine, he was subjected to similar treatment by a older Farage.

“He came over to a pupil accompanied by two similarly tall mates and spoke to anyone looking ‘different’,” the former student said. “That involved me on three occasions; inquiring where I was from, and gesturing, saying: ‘Go back that way,’ to any place you replied you were from.”

Following the initial report, others have come forward; approximately twenty people have now alleged they were either subject to or saw hurtful conduct by Farage.

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

Changing Stories

The Reform leader has disputed that anything he did was "explicitly" racist or antisemitic, and has suggested the former classmates were misremembering.

Critics have highlighted that Farage has neglected to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism in a wider sense in his responses.

They also cite his reluctance to reprimand a party member, Sarah Pochin, after she expressed views about the number of ethnic minorities she saw in adverts. She later expressed regret for the comments.

“His shifting account about his behaviour to his Jewish classmates [is] not credible, to say the least,” Hermer commented.

He went on to say: “Arguing that 20 people have all forgotten the same things about his hurtful behaviour simply lacks credibility."

Demand for Accountability

“If he aspires to be seen as a legitimate candidate for the top job, he urgently needs confront the anxieties of the Jewish people, and say sorry to the numerous individuals he has clearly deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer concluded.

“Bigotry in all its forms is abhorrent to the standards of this country and we must not permit it to ever become accepted in society.”

In a other comments, Rachel Reeves said Farage should “say something” if he wanted to appear as a real leader.

“It speaks volumes how little he has to say, and the guarded phrasing that both you and I would understand as being drafted in a certain style to communicate, but also avoid saying certain things,” she noted.

Legal Letters and Later Statements

In lawyers' communications before the release of the investigation, Farage’s representatives claimed that “the allegation that Mr Farage ever was involved in, condoned, or led such conduct is completely refuted”.

Farage later seemingly shifted his stance in an appearance, saying: “Have I said things as a youth that you could see as being teenage humour, you could interpret in a contemporary context today in a certain manner? Perhaps.”

He commented that he had “not once intentionally sought to go and harm anybody”. Farage subsequently put out a fresh denial: “I can tell you categorically that I did not say the things that have been printed aged 13, decades in the past.”