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The United Kingdom's top law officer, Richard Hermer, has called on the Reform UK leader to apologise to former schoolmates who claim he targeted with racist abuse them during their time at school.

Hermer said that Farage had "clearly deeply hurt" many people, according to their testimonies of his past behaviour. He noted that the politician's "evolving" statements had been less than credible.

“During his answers to valid inquiries, not once has Farage actually condemned antisemitism,” Hermer informed a news outlet.

Further Testimonies Emerge

A recent investigation last month documented the accounts 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 say: ‘Hitler was right’ or ‘send them to the gas chambers’, sometimes adding a long hiss to simulate the sound of the gas showers”.

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

“He walked up to a pupil accompanied by two similarly tall mates and addressed anyone looking ‘unusual’,” the former student said. “That involved me on three separate times; questioning me where I was from, and pointing away, saying: ‘Go back that way,’ to any place you replied you were from.”

Following the initial report, others have come forward; around two dozen people have now claimed they were either victims of or saw hurtful actions by Farage.

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

Changing Stories

The Reform leader has rejected that anything he did was "blatantly" racist or antisemitic, and has suggested the accusers were not telling the truth.

Critics have noted that Farage has failed to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism in a wider sense in his denials.

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

“Nigel Farage’s shifting account about his behaviour to his peers [is] hard to believe, to say the least,” Hermer said.

He went on to say: “Claiming that 20 people have somehow forgotten the same things about his nasty behaviour simply lacks credibility."

Demand for Accountability

“If he wants to be seen as a legitimate candidate for prime minister, he must acknowledge the fears of the Jewish people, and apologise to the those he has obviously deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer stated.

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

In a separate interview, Rachel Reeves said Farage should “make a statement” if he wanted to be considered a real leader.

“It says a lot how very little he has to say, and the guarded phrasing that both you and I would identify as being written in a particular way to communicate, but also not to say something,” she remarked.

Legal Letters and Later Statements

In legal letters before the publication of the report, Farage’s lawyers stated that “the implication that Mr Farage ever engaged in, condoned, or led such conduct is strongly rejected”.

Farage later altered his position in an discussion, remarking: “Did I say things as a youth that you could view as being teenage humour, you could interpret in a modern light today in some sort of way? Possibly.”

He commented that he had “not once intentionally attempted to go and hurt anybody”. Farage subsequently put out a fresh denial: “I can tell you definitely that I did not say the things that have been reported when I was 13, nearly 50 years ago.”