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The UK's top law officer, Richard Hermer, has urged the Reform UK leader to apologise to former schoolmates who allege he targeted with racist abuse them during their school days.

Hermer stated that Farage had "obviously deeply hurt" many people, based on their testimonies of his alleged conduct. He noted that the politician's "evolving" denials had been unconvincing.

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

Fresh Claims Come to Light

A published report last month outlined the testimony of more than a dozen ex-pupils of Farage from a south London school.

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

Another pupil from an ethnic minority alleged that when he was about nine, he was subjected to similar treatment by a older Farage.

“He approached a pupil with two tall mates and addressed anyone looking ‘other’,” the former student said. “That happened to me on three occasions; asking me where I was from, and pointing away, saying: ‘That's how you get back,’ to wherever you replied you were from.”

Following the initial report, others have stepped forward; approximately twenty people have now claimed they were either targets of or observed hurtful conduct by Farage.

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

Evolving Explanations

The Reform leader has rejected that anything he did was "explicitly" racist or antisemitic, and has asserted the accusers were misremembering.

Commentators have pointed out that Farage has failed to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism more broadly in his denials.

They also point to his inability to reprimand a party member, Sarah Pochin, after she complained about the number of people of colour she saw in adverts. She later expressed regret for the remarks.

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

He went on to say: “Claiming that 20 people have all misremembered the same things about his hurtful behaviour simply is not believable."

Demand for Accountability

“If he aspires to be seen as a credible figure for prime minister, he has to address the concerns of the Jewish community, and say sorry to the numerous individuals he has clearly deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer stated.

“Prejudice in all its forms is anathema to the values of this country and we cannot allow it to ever become legitimised in public life.”

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

“It is very telling how very little he has to say, and the very careful language that both you and I would identify as being drafted in a certain style to communicate, but also avoid saying certain things,” she said.

Legal Letters and Later Statements

In formal correspondence prior to the release of the report, Farage’s lawyers claimed that “the implication that Mr Farage ever engaged in, condoned, or led this behaviour is strongly rejected”.

Farage later seemingly shifted his stance in an interview, saying: “Did I say things decades ago that you could interpret as being teenage humour, you could interpret in a today's standards today in a certain manner? Possibly.”

He said that he had “not once intentionally really tried to go and upset anybody”. Farage subsequently put out a new statement: “I can tell you definitely that I did not say the things that have been reported aged 13, nearly 50 years ago.”