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The United Kingdom's attorney general, one of the most senior Jewish ministers, has demanded the Reform UK leader to issue an apology to school contemporaries who allege he racially abused them during their school days.

Hermer stated that Farage had "undoubtedly deeply hurt" many people, judging by their descriptions of his actions as a youth. He noted that the leader's "evolving" denials had been unconvincing.

“During his defensive responses to valid inquiries, not once has Farage truly condemned antisemitism,” Hermer informed a publication.

Fresh Claims Come to Light

A published report last month documented the statements of over a dozen former classmates of Farage from a private college.

One, a former pupil, described that a teenage Farage "would sidle up to me and growl: ‘Hitler was right’ or ‘send them to the gas chambers’, 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 singled out by a 17-year-old Farage.

“He came over to a pupil with two similarly tall mates and targeted anyone looking ‘other’,” the person said. “That involved me on three separate times; questioning me where I was from, and pointing away, saying: ‘That’s the way back,’ to wherever you replied you were from.”

Since then, additional individuals have come forward; about 20 people have now claimed they were either subject to or observed highly inappropriate conduct by Farage.

The behaviour they described cover the period when Farage was aged between 13 and 18.

Evolving Explanations

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

Observers have noted that Farage has failed to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism outright in his denials.

They also point to his reluctance to reprimand a party member, Sarah Pochin, after she made remarks about the number of ethnic minorities she saw in adverts. She later said sorry for the comments.

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

He added: “Suggesting that a group of people have all recalled incorrectly the same things about his hurtful behaviour simply isn’t credible."

Question of Character

“If he wants to be seen as a serious contender 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.

“Racism in all its forms is abhorrent to the standards of this country and we should not let it to ever become normalised in public life.”

In a other comments, a senior politician said Farage should “make a statement” if he wanted to be considered a real leader.

“It says a lot how little he has to say, and the guarded phrasing that both you and I would understand as being drafted in a specific manner to say something, but also dodge the issue,” she noted.

Legal Letters and Later Statements

In lawyers' communications before the release of the investigation, Farage’s representatives asserted that “the implication that Mr Farage ever engaged in, approved of, or led racist or antisemitic behaviour is strongly rejected”.

Farage later appeared to change his stance in an discussion, stating: “Have I said things 50 years ago that you could interpret as being teenage humour, you could interpret in a modern light today in some sort of way? Perhaps.”

He added that he had “not ever purposely sought to go and hurt anybody”. Farage later issued a fresh denial: “I can tell you unequivocally that I did not say the things that have been reported when I was 13, nearly 50 years ago.”