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The United Kingdom's attorney general, one of the most senior Jewish ministers, has demanded the Reform UK leader to apologise to former schoolmates who claim he targeted with racist abuse them during their time at school.

Hermer said that Farage had "obviously deeply hurt" many people, judging by their accounts of his actions as a youth. He added that the leader's "constantly changing" explanations had been unconvincing.

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

Fresh Claims Come to Light

A published report last month documented the accounts of several former classmates of Farage from Dulwich College.

One, Peter Ettedgui, said that a teenage Farage "would sidle up to me and growl: ‘Hitler was right’ or ‘gas them’, sometimes adding a long hiss to simulate the sound of the gas showers”.

Another minority ethnic pupil claimed that when he was about nine, he was subjected to similar treatment by a older Farage.

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

Following the initial report, additional individuals have come forward; around two dozen people have now claimed they were either victims of or witnesses to highly inappropriate conduct by Farage.

The alleged events they described relate to the period when Farage was aged 13 to 18.

Denials and Shifting Positions

The Reform leader has disputed that anything he did was "blatantly" racist or antisemitic, and has asserted the individuals were misremembering.

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

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

“His evolving narrative about his behaviour to his peers [is] not credible, to say the least,” Hermer commented.

He added: “Arguing that 20 people have somehow recalled incorrectly the same things about his offensive behaviour simply is not believable."

Question of Character

“If he aspires to be seen as a credible figure for prime minister, he has to confront the concerns of the Jewish people, and say sorry to the those he has clearly deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer concluded.

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

In a separate interview, a senior politician said Farage should “say something” if he wanted to appear as a genuine leader.

“It speaks volumes how very little he has to say, and the guarded phrasing that both you and I would identify as being crafted in a particular way to say something, but also dodge the issue,” she noted.

Formal Denials and Subsequent Comments

In legal letters before the publication of the investigation, Farage’s lawyers asserted that “the implication that Mr Farage ever was involved in, supported, or led this behaviour is categorically denied”.

Farage later altered his stance in an appearance, saying: “Did I say things 50 years ago that you could view as being banter, you could interpret in a today's standards today in some way? Possibly.”

He added that he had “never directly sought to go and hurt anybody”. Farage afterwards released a new statement: “I can tell you definitely that I did not say the things that have been published as a 13-year-old, so long ago.”