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The United Kingdom's attorney general, one of the most senior Jewish ministers, has urged the Reform UK leader to issue an apology to school contemporaries who claim he targeted with racist abuse them during their time at school.

Hermer said that Farage had "obviously deeply hurt" many people, according to their testimonies of his alleged conduct. He added that the leader's "shifting" denials had been less than credible.

“During his answers to legitimate questions, not once has Farage truly condemned antisemitism,” Hermer told a publication.

Further Testimonies Come to Light

A series of inquiries last month documented the accounts of more than a dozen former classmates of Farage from a south London school.

One, a former pupil, described that a 13-year-old Farage "would sidle up to me and utter: ‘Hitler was right’ or ‘gas them’, occasionally including a long hiss to simulate the sound of the Nazi gas chambers”.

Another pupil from an ethnic minority alleged that when he was roughly nine years old, he was similarly targeted by a older Farage.

“He came over to a pupil accompanied by two equally tall mates and spoke to anyone looking ‘other’,” the individual said. “That included me on three separate times; questioning me where I was from, and gesturing, saying: ‘That's how you get back,’ to any place you said you were from.”

After the story broke, more people have come forward; around two dozen people have now alleged they were either victims of or witnesses to highly inappropriate actions by Farage.

The alleged events they recounted relate to 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 claimed the individuals were being untruthful.

Observers have highlighted that Farage has neglected to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism outright in his responses.

They also cite his inability to sanction a party member, Sarah Pochin, after she complained about the number of ethnic minorities she saw in adverts. She later expressed regret for the statements.

“Nigel Farage’s constantly changing story about his behaviour to his schoolmates [is] unconvincing, to say the least,” Hermer stated.

He added: “Arguing that 20 people have somehow misremembered the same things about his nasty behaviour simply isn’t credible."

Call for Leadership

“If he wishes to be seen as a credible figure for high office, he has to acknowledge the fears of the Jewish people, and apologise to the numerous individuals he has obviously deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer stated.

“Bigotry in all its forms is anathema to the values of this country and we cannot allow it to ever become normalised in society.”

In a separate interview, the Chancellor said Farage should “speak out” if he wanted to be considered a genuine leader.

“It speaks volumes how very little he has to say, and the precisely drafted words that both you and I would identify as being crafted in a certain style to say something, but also avoid saying certain things,” she noted.

Formal Denials and Subsequent Comments

In formal correspondence before the release of the report, Farage’s legal team asserted that “the suggestion that Mr Farage ever engaged in, supported, or led racist or antisemitic behaviour is completely refuted”.

Farage later seemingly shifted his position in an discussion, stating: “Have I said things 50 years ago that you could interpret as being teenage humour, you could interpret in a today's standards today in some way? Yes.”

He commented that he had “not ever purposely really tried to go and upset anybody”. Farage later released a further comment: “I can tell you unequivocally that I did not say the things that have been published when I was 13, decades in the past.”