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The UK's top law officer, one of the most senior Jewish ministers, has demanded the Reform UK leader to issue an apology to school contemporaries who assert he racially abused them during their years in education.

Hermer said that Farage had "undoubtedly deeply hurt" many people, according to their testimonies of his alleged conduct. He commented that the politician's "evolving" explanations had been unconvincing.

“In his replies to valid inquiries, not once has Farage actually condemned antisemitism,” Hermer informed a news outlet.

Fresh Claims Surface

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

One, Peter Ettedgui, described that a 13-year-old Farage "would sidle up to me and say: ‘The Nazi leader was correct’ or ‘send them to the gas chambers’, at times making a long hiss to mimic the sound of the Nazi gas chambers”.

Another pupil from an ethnic minority stated that when he was roughly nine years old, he was subjected to similar treatment by a older Farage.

“He came over to a pupil accompanied by two tall mates and addressed anyone looking ‘other’,” the former student said. “That happened to me on three separate times; asking me where I was from, and motioning, saying: ‘Go back that way,’ to any place you said you were from.”

Following the initial report, additional individuals have come forward; around two dozen people have now claimed they were either subject to or witnesses to highly inappropriate past behaviour by Farage.

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

Evolving Explanations

The Reform leader has rejected that anything he did was "explicitly" racist or antisemitic, and has asserted the individuals were being untruthful.

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

They also point to his failure to discipline a party member, Sarah Pochin, after she made remarks about the number of black and brown people she saw in television commercials. She later apologised for the comments.

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

He continued: “Arguing that two dozen individuals have somehow forgotten the same things about his offensive behaviour simply isn’t credible."

Call for Leadership

“If he aspires to be seen as a legitimate candidate for high office, he must address the fears of the Jewish community, and say sorry to the numerous individuals he has clearly deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer concluded.

“Bigotry in all its forms is anathema to the standards of this country and we must not permit it to ever become legitimised in politics.”

In a other comments, a senior politician said Farage should “say something” if he wanted to look like a real leader.

“It is very telling how little he has to say, and the guarded phrasing that both you and I would recognise as being written in a specific manner to communicate, but also avoid saying certain things,” she said.

Formal Denials and Subsequent Comments

In formal correspondence prior to the publication of the report, Farage’s legal team claimed that “the allegation that Mr Farage ever took part in, approved of, or led such conduct is strongly rejected”.

Farage later altered his position in an interview, saying: “Have I said things as a youth that you could view as being playground talk, you could interpret in a contemporary context today in a certain manner? Possibly.”

He said that he had “not once intentionally sought to go and harm anybody”. Farage afterwards released a new statement: “I can tell you unequivocally that I did not say the things that have been published aged 13, so long ago.”