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The UK's attorney general, one of the most senior Jewish ministers, has called on the Reform UK leader to apologise to former schoolmates who claim he racially abused them during their years in education.

Hermer said that Farage had "clearly deeply hurt" many people, judging by their descriptions of his actions as a youth. He noted that the leader's "constantly changing" denials had been unconvincing.

“In his defensive responses to legitimate questions, not once has Farage truly condemned antisemitism,” Hermer informed a news outlet.

Further Testimonies Emerge

A recent investigation last month outlined the testimony of over a dozen ex-pupils of Farage from a private college.

One, a former pupil, recalled that a 13-year-old Farage "would approach me and say: ‘The Nazi leader was correct’ or ‘send them to the gas chambers’, sometimes adding a long hiss to imitate the sound of the gas showers”.

Another pupil from an ethnic minority claimed that when he was roughly nine years old, he was similarly targeted by a 17-year-old Farage.

“He walked up to a pupil with two equally tall mates and addressed anyone looking ‘other’,” the individual said. “That included me on three occasions; inquiring where I was from, and motioning, saying: ‘That’s the way back,’ to wherever you replied you were from.”

Following the initial report, additional individuals have come forward; about 20 people have now alleged they were either targets of or observed hurtful conduct by Farage.

The incidents they described relate to the period when Farage was aged a teenager.

Changing Stories

The Reform leader has rejected that anything he did was "directly" racist or antisemitic, and has suggested the individuals were misremembering.

Observers have pointed out that Farage has failed to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism more broadly in his denials.

They also point to his inability to reprimand a fellow Reform MP, Sarah Pochin, after she made remarks about the number of people of colour she saw in television commercials. She later apologised for the statements.

“His evolving narrative about his behaviour to his Jewish classmates [is] not credible, to say the least,” Hermer stated.

He continued: “Suggesting that two dozen individuals have all misremembered the same things about his nasty behaviour simply isn’t credible."

Call for Leadership

“If he wants to be seen as a serious contender for prime minister, he has to confront the concerns of the Jewish people, and apologise to the many people he has obviously deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer stated.

“Prejudice in all its forms is completely opposed to the standards of this country and we must not permit it to ever become normalised in public life.”

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

“It says a lot how very 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 communicate, but also not to say something,” she remarked.

Formal Denials and Subsequent Comments

In formal correspondence prior to the publication of the report, Farage’s representatives stated that “the allegation that Mr Farage ever engaged in, supported, or led this behaviour is strongly rejected”.

Farage later altered his stance in an discussion, saying: “Have I said things decades ago that you could view as being teenage humour, you could interpret in a today's standards today in a certain manner? Possibly.”

He said that he had “never directly sought to go and upset anybody”. Farage subsequently released a new statement: “I can tell you definitely that I did not say the things that have been published as a 13-year-old, decades in the past.”