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The UK's top law officer, Richard Hermer, has demanded the Reform UK leader to issue an apology to school contemporaries who assert he racially abused them during their time at school.

Hermer stated that Farage had "obviously deeply hurt" many people, based on their accounts of his alleged conduct. He noted that the leader's "constantly changing" explanations had been difficult to believe.

“During his replies to legitimate questions, not once has Farage genuinely condemned antisemitism,” Hermer stated to a publication.

New Allegations Come to Light

A published report last month outlined the accounts of more than a dozen former classmates of Farage from a private college.

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

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

“He walked up to a pupil with two equally tall mates and addressed anyone looking ‘different’,” the former student said. “That happened to me on three occasions; asking me where I was from, and gesturing, saying: ‘That's how you get back,’ to wherever you said you were from.”

After the story broke, additional individuals have come forward; around two dozen people have now stated they were either targets of or observed deeply offensive past behaviour by Farage.

The behaviour they described cover the period when Farage was aged between 13 and 18.

Evolving Explanations

The political figure has disputed that anything he did was "blatantly" racist or antisemitic, and has claimed the accusers were not telling the truth.

Commentators have highlighted that Farage has not managed to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism more broadly in his responses.

They also point to his inability to discipline a colleague in his party, a MP, after she complained about the number of ethnic minorities she saw in adverts. She later apologised for the remarks.

“Nigel Farage’s constantly changing story about his behaviour to his schoolmates [is] not credible, to say the least,” Hermer said.

He continued: “Arguing that two dozen individuals have all recalled incorrectly the same things about his nasty behaviour simply is not believable."

Call for Leadership

“If he wants to be seen as a serious contender for high office, he must acknowledge the fears of the Jewish community, and apologise to the many people he has obviously deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer stated.

“Bigotry in all its forms is abhorrent to the values of this country and we cannot allow it to ever become accepted in public life.”

In a different discussion, a senior politician said Farage should “speak out” if he wanted to look like a genuine leader.

“It is very telling how very little he has to say, and the very careful language that both you and I would identify as being written in a specific manner to say something, but also avoid saying certain things,” she remarked.

Legal Letters and Later Statements

In formal correspondence before the publication of the investigation, Farage’s legal team asserted that “the implication that Mr Farage ever was involved in, approved of, or led racist or antisemitic behaviour is categorically denied”.

Farage later appeared to change his stance in an discussion, remarking: “Have I said things 50 years ago that you could interpret as being banter, you could interpret in a today's standards today in a certain manner? Yes.”

He added that he had “never directly really tried to go and harm anybody”. Farage afterwards put out a further comment: “I can tell you unequivocally that I did not say the things that have been printed as a 13-year-old, nearly 50 years ago.”