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The UK's top law officer, one of the most senior Jewish ministers, has urged the Reform UK leader to issue an apology to former schoolmates who allege he racially abused them during their school days.

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

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

New Allegations Surface

A recent investigation last month documented the accounts of more than a dozen one-time schoolmates of Farage from a south London school.

One, a former pupil, described that a 13-year-old Farage "would approach me and utter: ‘The Nazi leader was correct’ or ‘send them to the gas chambers’, at times making a long hiss to simulate the sound of the Nazi gas chambers”.

Another student of colour claimed that when he was roughly nine years old, he was similarly targeted by a older Farage.

“He came over to a pupil with two tall mates and spoke to anyone looking ‘unusual’,” the person said. “That involved me on three occasions; asking me where I was from, and motioning, saying: ‘That's how you get back,’ to any place you replied you were from.”

After the story broke, others have stepped forward; approximately twenty people have now alleged they were either subject to or observed hurtful conduct by Farage.

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

Denials and Shifting Positions

The political figure has denied that anything he did was "explicitly" racist or antisemitic, and has suggested the former classmates were being untruthful.

Commentators have highlighted that Farage has not managed to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism outright in his statements.

They also cite his inability to sanction a party member, a MP, after she expressed views about the number of people of colour she saw in television commercials. She later expressed regret for the remarks.

“Nigel Farage’s evolving narrative about his behaviour to his peers [is] not credible, to say the least,” Hermer said.

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

Call for Leadership

“If he wants to be seen as a credible figure for prime minister, he has to address the anxieties of the Jewish people, and apologise to the numerous individuals 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 should not let it to ever become normalised in public life.”

In a other comments, the Chancellor said Farage should “make a statement” if he wanted to be considered a real leader.

“It speaks volumes how little he has to say, and the very careful language that both you and I would recognise as being drafted in a particular way to say something, but also avoid saying certain things,” she remarked.

Formal Denials and Subsequent Comments

In formal correspondence prior to the publication of the report, Farage’s lawyers asserted that “the implication that Mr Farage ever took part in, condoned, or led such conduct is strongly rejected”.

Farage later appeared to change his explanation in an appearance, saying: “Have I said things as a youth that you could interpret as being playground talk, you could interpret in a modern light today in some way? Possibly.”

He commented that he had “never directly attempted to go and hurt anybody”. Farage afterwards put out a new statement: “I can tell you unequivocally that I did not say the things that have been reported aged 13, decades in the past.”