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The United Kingdom's attorney general, Richard Hermer, has demanded the Reform UK leader to issue an apology to school contemporaries who allege he targeted with racist abuse them during their school days.

Hermer stated that Farage had "obviously deeply hurt" many people, judging by their descriptions of his actions as a youth. He added that the leader's "constantly changing" explanations had been unconvincing.

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

Further Testimonies Emerge

A series of inquiries last month outlined the testimony of more than a dozen former classmates of Farage from a south London school.

One, Peter Ettedgui, said that a teenage Farage "would sidle up to me and utter: ‘The Nazi leader was correct’ or ‘send them to the gas chambers’, occasionally including a long hiss to imitate the sound of the gas showers”.

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

“He came over to a pupil flanked by two equally tall mates and addressed anyone looking ‘unusual’,” the person said. “That involved me on three separate times; asking me where I was from, and gesturing, saying: ‘That's how you get back,’ to wherever you replied you were from.”

Since then, more people have emerged; around two dozen people have now alleged they were either victims of or witnesses to hurtful past behaviour by Farage.

The incidents they recounted cover the period when Farage was aged a teenager.

Changing Stories

The political figure has disputed that anything he did was "directly" racist or antisemitic, and has claimed the former classmates were misremembering.

Commentators have highlighted that Farage has not managed to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism outright in his denials.

They also point to his inability to reprimand a fellow Reform MP, a MP, after she made remarks about the number of ethnic minorities she saw in adverts. She later said sorry for the comments.

“Nigel Farage’s constantly changing story about his behaviour to his peers [is] unconvincing, to say the least,” Hermer commented.

He continued: “Arguing that a group of people have somehow misremembered the same things about his offensive behaviour simply isn’t credible."

Question of Character

“If he wishes to be seen as a serious contender for the top job, he has to confront the concerns of the Jewish community, and apologise to the many people he has obviously deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer stated.

“Bigotry in all its forms is anathema to the standards of this country and we should not let it to ever become accepted in society.”

In a separate interview, the Chancellor said Farage should “say something” if he wanted to be considered a true statesman.

“It says a lot how little he has to say, and the precisely drafted words that both you and I would identify as being crafted in a particular way to communicate, but also dodge the issue,” she remarked.

Legal Letters and Later Statements

In legal letters before the publication of the report, Farage’s lawyers asserted that “the suggestion that Mr Farage ever took part in, condoned, or led such conduct is strongly rejected”.

Farage later appeared to change his position in an appearance, saying: “Did I say things decades ago that you could see as being banter, you could interpret in a modern light today in some sort of way? Perhaps.”

He added that he had “not once intentionally sought to go and upset anybody”. Farage afterwards released a new statement: “I can tell you definitely that I did not say the things that have been reported aged 13, decades in the past.”