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The United Kingdom's attorney general, one of the most senior Jewish ministers, has urged the Reform UK leader to issue an apology to former schoolmates who allege he racially abused them during their school days.

Hermer stated that Farage had "obviously deeply hurt" many people, based on their accounts of his past behaviour. He added that the leader's "evolving" statements had been unconvincing.

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

Fresh Claims Surface

A series of inquiries last month detailed the testimony of over a dozen ex-pupils of Farage from Dulwich College.

One, Peter Ettedgui, described that a teenage Farage "came up to me and growl: ‘Hitler was right’ or ‘send them to the gas chambers’, sometimes adding a long hiss to simulate the sound of the Nazi gas chambers”.

Another pupil from an ethnic minority alleged that when he was roughly nine years old, he was singled out by a older Farage.

“He came over to a pupil flanked by two similarly tall mates and addressed anyone looking ‘unusual’,” the person said. “That included me on three occasions; questioning me where I was from, and pointing away, saying: ‘Go back that way,’ to any place you replied you were from.”

Following the initial report, others have emerged; around two dozen people have now stated they were either targets of or observed highly inappropriate past behaviour by Farage.

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

Evolving Explanations

The political figure has denied that anything he did was "blatantly" racist or antisemitic, and has suggested the individuals were not telling the truth.

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

They also cite his failure to sanction a fellow Reform MP, Sarah Pochin, after she complained about the number of black and brown people she saw in adverts. She later said sorry for the comments.

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

He continued: “Arguing that 20 people have all forgotten the same things about his hurtful behaviour simply isn’t credible."

Call for Leadership

“If he wishes to be seen as a legitimate candidate for prime minister, he has to acknowledge the concerns of the Jewish people, and apologise to the numerous individuals he has clearly deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer said.

“Racism in all its forms is abhorrent to the principles of this country and we must not permit it to ever become accepted in public life.”

In a different discussion, the Chancellor said Farage should “say something” if he wanted to appear as a true statesman.

“It says a lot how very little he has to say, and the very careful language that both you and I would identify as being crafted in a specific manner to communicate, but also avoid saying certain things,” she said.

Formal Denials and Subsequent Comments

In legal letters before the publication of the investigation, Farage’s representatives stated that “the suggestion that Mr Farage ever took part in, condoned, or led racist or antisemitic behaviour is completely refuted”.

Farage later appeared to change his explanation in an discussion, saying: “Did I say 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? Perhaps.”

He commented that he had “never directly really tried to go and harm anybody”. Farage later issued a further comment: “I can tell you definitely that I did not say the things that have been printed aged 13, decades in the past.”