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The UK's top law officer, one of the most senior Jewish ministers, has urged the Reform UK leader to apologise to former schoolmates who claim he targeted with racist abuse them during their years in education.

Hermer remarked that Farage had "undoubtedly deeply hurt" many people, according to their descriptions of his alleged conduct. He commented that the leader's "evolving" statements had been difficult to believe.

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

Further Testimonies Emerge

A published report last month outlined the testimony of several ex-pupils of Farage from Dulwich College.

One, Peter Ettedgui, recalled that a teenage Farage "would approach me and growl: ‘Hitler was right’ or ‘gas them’, at times making a long hiss to imitate the sound of the Nazi gas chambers”.

Another minority ethnic pupil alleged that when he was roughly nine years old, he was singled out by a 17-year-old Farage.

“He approached a pupil with two equally tall mates and spoke to anyone looking ‘other’,” the individual said. “That involved me on three occasions; questioning me where I was from, and pointing away, saying: ‘That's how you get back,’ to wherever you said you were from.”

After the story broke, others have stepped forward; around two dozen people have now claimed they were either victims of or observed deeply offensive actions by Farage.

The alleged events they recounted span the period when Farage was aged between 13 and 18.

Denials and Shifting Positions

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

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

They also reference his inability to discipline a party member, Sarah Pochin, after she made remarks about the number of people of colour she saw in adverts. She later said sorry for the remarks.

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

He added: “Suggesting that 20 people have somehow misremembered the same things about his nasty behaviour simply isn’t credible."

Question of Character

“If he wants to be seen as a serious contender for prime minister, he urgently needs address the concerns of the Jewish people, and apologise to the numerous individuals he has clearly deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer concluded.

“Racism in all its forms is anathema to the values of this country and we should not let it to ever become legitimised in politics.”

In a different discussion, the Chancellor said Farage should “say something” if he wanted to appear as a genuine leader.

“It says a lot how very little he has to say, and the very careful language that both you and I would understand as being written in a specific manner to say something, but also avoid saying certain things,” she remarked.

Formal Denials and Subsequent Comments

In lawyers' communications prior to the release of the report, Farage’s lawyers claimed that “the implication that Mr Farage ever engaged in, condoned, or led such conduct is strongly rejected”.

Farage later altered his stance in an interview, remarking: “Have I said things as a youth that you could interpret as being banter, you could interpret in a contemporary context today in a certain manner? Possibly.”

He added that he had “never directly really tried to go and harm anybody”. Farage subsequently issued a further comment: “I can tell you definitely that I did not say the things that have been published when I was 13, nearly 50 years ago.”