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The United Kingdom's attorney general, one of the most senior Jewish ministers, has demanded the Reform UK leader to apologise to former schoolmates who assert he targeted with racist abuse them during their years in education.

Hermer said that Farage had "obviously deeply hurt" many people, according to their testimonies of his past behaviour. He added that the politician's "constantly changing" denials had been unconvincing.

“Throughout his replies to legitimate questions, not once has Farage truly condemned antisemitism,” Hermer informed a publication.

Fresh Claims Come to Light

A series of inquiries last month documented the accounts of more than a dozen former classmates of Farage from a private college.

One, a former pupil, recalled that a 13-year-old Farage "would sidle up to me and say: ‘Hitler was right’ or ‘send them to the gas chambers’, occasionally including a long hiss to mimic the sound of the Nazi gas chambers”.

Another pupil from an ethnic minority claimed that when he was about nine, he was singled out by a 17-year-old Farage.

“He came over to a pupil flanked by two equally tall mates and addressed anyone looking ‘other’,” the former student said. “That happened to me on three separate times; inquiring where I was from, and gesturing, saying: ‘That's how you get back,’ to any place you replied you were from.”

Since then, others have come forward; about 20 people have now stated they were either victims of or witnesses to highly inappropriate past behaviour by Farage.

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

Denials and Shifting Positions

The Reform leader has denied that anything he did was "blatantly" racist or antisemitic, and has asserted the accusers were misremembering.

Commentators have pointed out that Farage has failed to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism in a wider sense in his responses.

They also cite his inability to discipline a party member, Sarah Pochin, after she complained about the number of ethnic minorities she saw in adverts. She later said sorry for the remarks.

“Nigel Farage’s shifting account about his behaviour to his schoolmates [is] hard to believe, to say the least,” Hermer commented.

He went on to say: “Claiming that 20 people have all misremembered the same things about his nasty behaviour simply is not believable."

Question of Character

“If he wishes to be seen as a legitimate candidate for prime minister, he must confront the concerns of the Jewish people, and apologise to the many people he has clearly deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer stated.

“Bigotry in all its forms is abhorrent to the standards of this country and we cannot allow it to ever become accepted in politics.”

In a separate interview, Rachel Reeves said Farage should “make a statement” 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 understand as being written in a particular way to say something, but also avoid saying certain things,” she noted.

Formal Denials and Subsequent Comments

In formal correspondence before the publication of the investigation, Farage’s lawyers claimed that “the allegation that Mr Farage ever took part in, approved of, or led such conduct is completely refuted”.

Farage later altered his position in an discussion, remarking: “Have I said things 50 years ago that you could interpret as being playground talk, you could interpret in a contemporary context today in some way? Perhaps.”

He commented that he had “not ever purposely attempted to go and hurt anybody”. Farage subsequently issued a fresh denial: “I can tell you unequivocally that I did not say the things that have been reported when I was 13, so long ago.”