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

Hermer remarked that Farage had "obviously deeply hurt" many people, according to their accounts of his alleged conduct. He noted that the politician's "evolving" denials had been difficult to believe.

“In his replies to legitimate questions, not once has Farage genuinely condemned antisemitism,” Hermer stated to a publication.

New Allegations Surface

A published report last month outlined the accounts of several former classmates of Farage from a south London school.

One, a former pupil, described that a teenage Farage "would approach me and say: ‘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 student of colour stated that when he was about nine, he was subjected to similar treatment by a older Farage.

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

After the story broke, others have come forward; approximately twenty people have now claimed they were either targets of or witnesses to hurtful conduct by Farage.

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

Evolving Explanations

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

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

They also cite his inability to discipline a colleague in his party, Sarah Pochin, after she made remarks about the number of ethnic minorities she saw in adverts. She later apologised for the comments.

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

He continued: “Arguing that 20 people have somehow recalled incorrectly the same things about his nasty behaviour simply lacks credibility."

Question of Character

“If he wishes to be seen as a credible figure for prime minister, he must acknowledge the anxieties of the Jewish people, and say sorry to the those he has obviously deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer said.

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

In a separate interview, the Chancellor said Farage should “speak out” if he wanted to look like a genuine leader.

“It speaks volumes how little he has to say, and the precisely drafted words that both you and I would recognise as being crafted in a specific manner to say something, but also avoid saying certain things,” she said.

Legal Letters and Later Statements

In legal letters prior to the publication of the report, Farage’s lawyers stated that “the implication that Mr Farage ever was involved in, approved of, or led this behaviour is strongly rejected”.

Farage later seemingly shifted his stance in an appearance, stating: “Have I said things 50 years ago that you could interpret as being playground talk, you could interpret in a modern light today in some sort of way? Possibly.”

He added that he had “never directly sought to go and upset anybody”. Farage subsequently put out a fresh denial: “I can tell you definitely that I did not say the things that have been published aged 13, nearly 50 years ago.”