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The UK's attorney general, one of the most senior Jewish ministers, has demanded the Reform UK leader to apologise to school contemporaries who assert he racially abused them during their time at school.

Hermer said that Farage had "obviously deeply hurt" many people, according to their accounts of his actions as a youth. He added that the leader's "evolving" denials had been less than credible.

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

Further Testimonies Come to Light

A series of inquiries last month outlined the accounts of more than a dozen ex-pupils of Farage from a private college.

One, Peter Ettedgui, said that a teenage Farage "would sidle up to me and growl: ‘Hitler was right’ or ‘send them to the gas chambers’, occasionally including a long hiss to simulate the sound of the Nazi gas chambers”.

Another student of colour alleged that when he was about nine, he was singled out by a 17-year-old Farage.

“He approached a pupil with two tall mates and spoke to anyone looking ‘other’,” the former student said. “That included me on three occasions; inquiring where I was from, and gesturing, saying: ‘Go back that way,’ to wherever you said you were from.”

Following the initial report, more people have emerged; around two dozen people have now stated they were either subject to or witnesses to highly inappropriate conduct by Farage.

The alleged events they recounted cover the period when Farage was aged between 13 and 18.

Denials and Shifting Positions

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

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

They also point to his inability to sanction a party member, Sarah Pochin, after she made remarks about the number of black and brown people she saw in adverts. She later expressed regret for the remarks.

“His evolving narrative about his behaviour to his schoolmates [is] hard to believe, to say the least,” Hermer said.

He went on to say: “Arguing that 20 people have all recalled incorrectly the same things about his offensive behaviour simply is not believable."

Question of Character

“If he wants to be seen as a credible figure for the top job, he must address the fears of the Jewish community, and apologise to the many people he has obviously deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer concluded.

“Bigotry in all its forms is completely opposed to the principles of this country and we must not permit it to ever become normalised in politics.”

In a different discussion, Rachel Reeves said Farage should “say something” if he wanted to appear as a genuine leader.

“It speaks volumes how very little he has to say, and the very careful language that both you and I would understand as being crafted in a particular way to say something, but also not to say something,” she remarked.

Legal Letters and Later Statements

In formal correspondence before the publication of the report, Farage’s representatives claimed that “the allegation that Mr Farage ever engaged in, supported, or led such conduct is strongly rejected”.

Farage later appeared to change his position in an appearance, remarking: “Have I said things decades ago that you could see as being playground talk, you could interpret in a contemporary context today in some way? Possibly.”

He added that he had “not ever purposely attempted to go and harm anybody”. Farage subsequently put out a fresh denial: “I can tell you categorically that I did not say the things that have been reported aged 13, decades in the past.”