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The UK's top law officer, one of the most senior Jewish ministers, has urged the Reform UK leader to apologise to school contemporaries who assert he targeted with racist abuse them during their years in education.

Hermer remarked that Farage had "clearly deeply hurt" many people, based on their accounts of his alleged conduct. He noted that the politician's "evolving" denials had been less than credible.

“Throughout his answers to valid inquiries, not once has Farage actually condemned antisemitism,” Hermer stated to a publication.

Further Testimonies Surface

A recent investigation last month documented the accounts of over a dozen one-time schoolmates of Farage from a private college.

One, a former pupil, recalled that a teenage Farage "would sidle up to me and say: ‘Hitler was right’ or ‘send them to the gas chambers’, at times making a long hiss to simulate the sound of the gas showers”.

Another student of colour claimed that when he was about nine, he was similarly targeted by a older Farage.

“He came over to a pupil flanked by two equally tall mates and spoke to anyone looking ‘unusual’,” the individual said. “That involved me on three occasions; asking me where I was from, and pointing away, saying: ‘That’s the way back,’ to wherever you said you were from.”

After the story broke, more people have stepped forward; around two dozen people have now alleged they were either victims of or observed highly inappropriate actions by Farage.

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

Evolving Explanations

The Reform leader has disputed that anything he did was "explicitly" racist or antisemitic, and has asserted the accusers were not telling the truth.

Observers have noted that Farage has not managed to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism outright in his responses.

They also reference his failure to reprimand a party member, Sarah Pochin, after she complained about the number of black and brown people she saw in adverts. She later apologised for the statements.

“Nigel Farage’s constantly changing story about his behaviour to his peers [is] not credible, to say the least,” Hermer said.

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

Call for Leadership

“If he aspires to be seen as a serious contender for prime minister, he has to address the concerns of the Jewish people, and apologise to the numerous individuals he has obviously deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer concluded.

“Prejudice in all its forms is abhorrent to the values of this country and we must not permit it to ever become legitimised in society.”

In a different discussion, Rachel Reeves said Farage should “make a statement” if he wanted to be considered a genuine leader.

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

Legal Letters and Later Statements

In legal letters prior to the release of the report, Farage’s representatives asserted that “the implication that Mr Farage ever engaged in, approved of, or led racist or antisemitic behaviour is completely refuted”.

Farage later appeared to change his explanation in an appearance, remarking: “Did I say things 50 years ago that you could interpret as being banter, you could interpret in a today's standards today in some way? Perhaps.”

He commented that he had “not ever purposely attempted to go and hurt anybody”. Farage afterwards put out a fresh denial: “I can tell you unequivocally that I did not say the things that have been published as a 13-year-old, decades in the past.”