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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 allege he targeted with racist abuse them during their time at school.

Hermer remarked that Farage had "obviously deeply hurt" many people, based on their accounts of his actions as a youth. He noted that the leader's "evolving" explanations had been unconvincing.

“Throughout his replies to valid inquiries, not once has Farage truly condemned antisemitism,” Hermer informed a news outlet.

Fresh Claims Come to Light

A recent investigation last month detailed the accounts of more than a dozen one-time schoolmates of Farage from a private college.

One, a former pupil, said that a teenage Farage "would approach me and growl: ‘The Nazi leader was correct’ or ‘send them to the gas chambers’, at times making a long hiss to imitate the sound of the Nazi gas chambers”.

Another pupil from an ethnic minority stated that when he was about nine, he was subjected to similar treatment by a 17-year-old Farage.

“He approached a pupil accompanied by two tall mates and spoke to anyone looking ‘different’,” the former student said. “That included me on three occasions; questioning me where I was from, and gesturing, saying: ‘That's how you get back,’ to wherever you said you were from.”

After the story broke, additional individuals have stepped forward; about 20 people have now stated they were either targets of or witnesses to hurtful actions by Farage.

The behaviour they outlined cover the period when Farage was aged a teenager.

Changing Stories

The Reform leader has disputed that anything he did was "explicitly" racist or antisemitic, and has asserted the former classmates were being untruthful.

Observers have pointed out that Farage has neglected to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism more broadly in his statements.

They also reference his reluctance to discipline 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 expressed regret for the comments.

“Nigel Farage’s constantly changing story about his behaviour to his schoolmates [is] hard to believe, to say the least,” Hermer stated.

He continued: “Claiming that two dozen individuals have somehow recalled incorrectly the same things about his hurtful behaviour simply lacks credibility."

Question of Character

“If he aspires to be seen as a credible figure for high office, he has to acknowledge the anxieties of the Jewish people, and apologise to the those he has obviously deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer said.

“Racism in all its forms is abhorrent to the values of this country and we cannot allow it to ever become accepted in public life.”

In a separate interview, Rachel Reeves said Farage should “say something” if he wanted to appear as a real leader.

“It speaks volumes how little he has to say, and the guarded phrasing that both you and I would understand as being written in a specific manner to say something, but also avoid saying certain things,” she said.

Formal Denials and Subsequent Comments

In formal correspondence prior to the publication of the investigation, Farage’s legal team stated that “the implication that Mr Farage ever took part in, approved of, or led this behaviour is completely refuted”.

Farage later altered his explanation in an interview, stating: “Did I say things decades ago that you could interpret as being playground talk, you could interpret in a today's standards today in a certain manner? Yes.”

He added that he had “not ever purposely really tried to go and hurt anybody”. Farage subsequently put out a fresh denial: “I can tell you categorically that I did not say the things that have been printed aged 13, so long ago.”