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The UK's attorney general, one of the most senior Jewish ministers, has urged the Reform UK leader to issue an apology to former schoolmates who assert he racially abused them during their years in education.

Hermer stated that Farage had "clearly deeply hurt" many people, according to their descriptions of his alleged conduct. He noted that the politician's "constantly changing" denials had been unconvincing.

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

Fresh Claims Surface

A published report last month documented the accounts of over a dozen ex-pupils of Farage from a south London school.

One, Peter Ettedgui, described that a teenage Farage "would approach me and say: ‘Hitler was right’ or ‘gas them’, at times making a long hiss to imitate the sound of the gas showers”.

Another student of colour alleged that when he was roughly nine years old, he was similarly targeted by a older Farage.

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

Since then, more people have emerged; around two dozen people have now stated they were either victims of or witnesses to deeply offensive past behaviour by Farage.

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

Denials and Shifting Positions

The political figure has rejected that anything he did was "directly" racist or antisemitic, and has suggested the former classmates were not telling the truth.

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

They also cite his failure to sanction a colleague in his party, Sarah Pochin, after she made remarks about the number of black and brown people she saw in television commercials. She later apologised for the remarks.

“His constantly changing story about his behaviour to his schoolmates [is] not credible, to say the least,” Hermer said.

He continued: “Arguing that two dozen individuals have all misremembered the same things about his hurtful behaviour simply isn’t credible."

Demand for Accountability

“If he wishes to be seen as a legitimate candidate for high office, he has to confront the anxieties of the Jewish people, and say sorry to the those he has obviously deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer concluded.

“Bigotry in all its forms is completely opposed to the principles of this country and we cannot allow it to ever become legitimised in society.”

In a other comments, the Chancellor said Farage should “speak out” if he wanted to be considered a genuine leader.

“It is very telling how very little he has to say, and the guarded phrasing that both you and I would recognise as being drafted in a particular way to communicate, but also not to say something,” she remarked.

Legal Letters and Later Statements

In lawyers' communications prior to the release of the report, Farage’s legal team asserted that “the suggestion that Mr Farage ever was involved in, approved of, or led such conduct is completely refuted”.

Farage later altered his explanation in an appearance, saying: “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 sort of way? Possibly.”

He commented that he had “never directly sought to go and hurt anybody”. Farage afterwards put out a further comment: “I can tell you definitely that I did not say the things that have been published aged 13, decades in the past.”