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The UK's top law officer, 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 school days.

Hermer remarked that Farage had "obviously deeply hurt" many people, judging by their descriptions of his past behaviour. He noted that the leader's "constantly changing" statements had been unconvincing.

“During his replies to legitimate questions, not once has Farage actually condemned antisemitism,” Hermer stated to a publication.

New Allegations Surface

A recent investigation last month detailed the testimony of several former classmates of Farage from a south London school.

One, a former pupil, recalled that a 13-year-old Farage "would approach me and growl: ‘The Nazi leader was correct’ or ‘gas them’, occasionally including a long hiss to simulate the sound of the Nazi gas chambers”.

Another minority ethnic pupil alleged that when he was roughly nine years old, he was subjected to similar treatment by a older Farage.

“He came over to a pupil accompanied by two similarly tall mates and targeted anyone looking ‘different’,” the individual said. “That included me on three separate times; asking me where I was from, and gesturing, saying: ‘Go back that way,’ to wherever you replied you were from.”

After the story broke, additional individuals have emerged; approximately twenty people have now claimed they were either targets of or saw deeply offensive actions by Farage.

The alleged events they outlined cover the period when Farage was aged 13 to 18.

Changing Stories

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

Observers have noted that Farage has failed to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism in a wider sense in his statements.

They also cite his failure to discipline a party member, a MP, after she made remarks about the number of ethnic minorities she saw in adverts. She later apologised for the comments.

“Nigel Farage’s shifting account 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 nasty behaviour simply lacks credibility."

Demand for Accountability

“If he aspires to be seen as a legitimate candidate for the top job, he has to address the fears of the Jewish community, and say sorry to the numerous individuals he has obviously deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer said.

“Racism in all its forms is completely opposed to the principles of this country and we must not permit it to ever become normalised in politics.”

In a different discussion, the Chancellor said Farage should “say something” if he wanted to be considered 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 recognise as being written in a certain style to communicate, but also dodge the issue,” she said.

Formal Denials and Subsequent Comments

In lawyers' communications prior to the publication of the investigation, 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 seemingly shifted his explanation in an appearance, remarking: “Did I say things decades ago that you could see as being teenage humour, you could interpret in a contemporary context today in some sort of way? Yes.”

He commented that he had “never directly really tried to go and upset anybody”. Farage later put out a fresh denial: “I can tell you categorically that I did not say the things that have been printed when I was 13, nearly 50 years ago.”