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The United Kingdom's top law officer, Richard Hermer, has called on the Reform UK leader to issue an apology to former schoolmates who assert he racially abused them during their time at school.

Hermer stated that Farage had "undoubtedly deeply hurt" many people, based on their testimonies of his actions as a youth. He added that the leader's "shifting" statements had been difficult to believe.

“During his replies to valid inquiries, not once has Farage truly condemned antisemitism,” Hermer stated to a news outlet.

Fresh Claims Emerge

A published report last month detailed the testimony of over a dozen ex-pupils of Farage from a south London school.

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

Another student of colour alleged that when he was about nine, he was singled out by a older Farage.

“He came over to a pupil with two equally tall mates and addressed anyone looking ‘unusual’,” the person said. “That happened to me on three separate times; questioning me where I was from, and motioning, saying: ‘Go back that way,’ to wherever you replied you were from.”

After the story broke, others have come forward; around two dozen people have now stated they were either targets of or saw highly inappropriate past behaviour by Farage.

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

Denials and Shifting Positions

The Reform leader has disputed that anything he did was "explicitly" racist or antisemitic, and has claimed the former classmates were being untruthful.

Critics have noted that Farage has not managed to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism outright in his denials.

They also point to his inability to discipline a party member, a MP, after she expressed views about the number of ethnic minorities she saw in television commercials. She later said sorry for the comments.

“His shifting account about his behaviour to his peers [is] not credible, to say the least,” Hermer stated.

He continued: “Suggesting that two dozen individuals have all recalled incorrectly the same things about his offensive behaviour simply lacks credibility."

Call for Leadership

“If he aspires to be seen as a serious contender for prime minister, he has to address the concerns of the Jewish people, and apologise to the many people he has clearly deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer concluded.

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

In a separate interview, the Chancellor said Farage should “speak out” if he wanted to appear as a true statesman.

“It says a lot how little he has to say, and the guarded phrasing that both you and I would identify as being written in a certain style to communicate, but also dodge the issue,” she remarked.

Formal Denials and Subsequent Comments

In legal letters prior to the release of the investigation, Farage’s legal team stated that “the implication that Mr Farage ever was involved in, supported, or led such conduct is strongly rejected”.

Farage later altered his explanation in an interview, remarking: “Did I say things 50 years ago that you could see as being playground talk, you could interpret in a modern light today in some way? Possibly.”

He commented that he had “not once intentionally attempted to go and harm anybody”. Farage subsequently issued a further comment: “I can tell you unequivocally that I did not say the things that have been published aged 13, so long ago.”