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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 allege he racially abused them during their time at school.

Hermer said that Farage had "obviously deeply hurt" many people, based on their testimonies of his past behaviour. He commented that the leader's "evolving" denials had been unconvincing.

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

Fresh Claims Come to Light

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

One, Peter Ettedgui, described that a 13-year-old Farage "would approach me and utter: ‘Hitler was right’ or ‘gas them’, at times making a long hiss to imitate the sound of the gas showers”.

Another minority ethnic pupil claimed that when he was roughly nine years old, he was singled out by a older Farage.

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

Since then, others have stepped forward; about 20 people have now alleged they were either victims of or saw deeply offensive past behaviour by Farage.

The alleged events they described span the period when Farage was aged a teenager.

Denials and Shifting Positions

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

Observers have highlighted that Farage has neglected to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism more broadly in his responses.

They also cite his inability to sanction a colleague in his party, Sarah Pochin, after she made remarks 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 peers [is] not credible, to say the least,” Hermer commented.

He went on to say: “Suggesting that 20 people have all forgotten the same things about his nasty behaviour simply isn’t credible."

Demand for Accountability

“If he wants to be seen as a credible figure for the top job, he must acknowledge the anxieties of the Jewish community, and apologise to the those he has obviously deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer stated.

“Prejudice in all its forms is anathema to the values of this country and we must not permit it to ever become accepted in politics.”

In a different discussion, the Chancellor said Farage should “make a statement” if he wanted to look like a genuine leader.

“It speaks volumes how very little he has to say, and the guarded phrasing that both you and I would understand as being crafted in a certain style to communicate, but also not to say something,” she said.

Legal Letters and Later Statements

In formal correspondence before the release of the report, Farage’s lawyers stated that “the suggestion that Mr Farage ever took part in, supported, or led racist or antisemitic behaviour is categorically denied”.

Farage later altered his explanation in an discussion, stating: “Have I said things decades ago that you could see as being playground talk, you could interpret in a modern light today in some way? Perhaps.”

He said that he had “not ever purposely sought to go and hurt anybody”. Farage later released a fresh denial: “I can tell you categorically that I did not say the things that have been printed when I was 13, so long ago.”