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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 claim he racially abused them during their time at school.

Hermer remarked that Farage had "obviously deeply hurt" many people, according to their descriptions of his actions as a youth. He added that the politician's "evolving" explanations had been less than credible.

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

New Allegations Emerge

A recent investigation last month outlined the accounts of several ex-pupils of Farage from Dulwich College.

One, a former pupil, said that a teenage Farage "came up to me and say: ‘Hitler was right’ or ‘gas them’, occasionally including a long hiss to simulate the sound of the gas showers”.

Another pupil from an ethnic minority stated that when he was about nine, he was similarly targeted by a 17-year-old Farage.

“He walked up to a pupil accompanied by two equally tall mates and addressed anyone looking ‘other’,” the person said. “That happened to me on three occasions; inquiring where I was from, and pointing away, saying: ‘Go back that way,’ to any place you answered you were from.”

Following the initial report, others have come forward; approximately twenty people have now alleged they were either victims of or observed highly inappropriate past behaviour by Farage.

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

Denials and Shifting Positions

The political figure has rejected that anything he did was "directly" racist or antisemitic, and has claimed the individuals were being untruthful.

Critics have noted that Farage has not managed to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism more broadly in his responses.

They also reference his failure to sanction a colleague in his party, a MP, after she made remarks about the number of ethnic minorities she saw in television commercials. She later apologised for the statements.

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

He continued: “Suggesting that a group of people have somehow misremembered the same things about his nasty behaviour simply is not believable."

Question of Character

“If he aspires to be seen as a serious contender for prime minister, he has to acknowledge the concerns of the Jewish people, and say sorry to the many people he has clearly deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer stated.

“Prejudice in all its forms is abhorrent to the principles of this country and we must not permit it to ever become accepted in public life.”

In a other comments, Rachel Reeves 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 very careful language that both you and I would understand as being drafted in a particular way to say something, but also dodge the issue,” she said.

Formal Denials and Subsequent Comments

In legal letters prior to the release of the investigation, Farage’s legal team stated that “the allegation that Mr Farage ever took part in, approved of, or led racist or antisemitic behaviour is categorically denied”.

Farage later appeared to change his stance in an appearance, saying: “Have I said things decades ago that you could view as being playground talk, you could interpret in a modern light today in some way? Yes.”

He commented that he had “not ever purposely sought to go and upset anybody”. Farage subsequently put out a fresh denial: “I can tell you unequivocally that I did not say the things that have been reported as a 13-year-old, nearly 50 years ago.”