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The UK's top law officer, 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 years in education.

Hermer stated that Farage had "clearly deeply hurt" many people, judging by their descriptions of his actions as a youth. He noted that the politician's "shifting" statements had been less than credible.

“In his replies to legitimate questions, not once has Farage genuinely condemned antisemitism,” Hermer stated to a news outlet.

Fresh Claims Surface

A recent investigation last month documented the accounts of over a dozen one-time schoolmates of Farage from a private college.

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

Another minority ethnic pupil alleged that when he was about nine, he was singled out by a older Farage.

“He walked up to a pupil accompanied by two tall mates and targeted anyone looking ‘unusual’,” the former student said. “That happened to me on three separate times; questioning me where I was from, and gesturing, saying: ‘That's how you get back,’ to wherever you replied you were from.”

Following the initial report, others have come forward; about 20 people have now stated they were either victims of or saw deeply offensive past behaviour by Farage.

The incidents they described relate to the period when Farage was aged between 13 and 18.

Evolving Explanations

The political figure has disputed that anything he did was "directly" racist or antisemitic, and has asserted the former classmates were being untruthful.

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

They also point to his failure to reprimand a fellow Reform MP, Sarah Pochin, after she expressed views about the number of black and brown people she saw in television commercials. She later said sorry for the statements.

“His evolving narrative about his behaviour to his Jewish classmates [is] hard to believe, to say the least,” Hermer stated.

He added: “Claiming that a group of people have somehow misremembered the same things about his offensive behaviour simply isn’t credible."

Question of Character

“If he wishes to be seen as a serious contender for high office, he has to acknowledge the fears of the Jewish community, and apologise to the those he has clearly deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer concluded.

“Bigotry in all its forms is anathema to the principles of this country and we must not permit it to ever become normalised in politics.”

In a different discussion, the Chancellor said Farage should “speak out” if he wanted to look like a real leader.

“It says a lot how little he has to say, and the guarded phrasing that both you and I would understand as being written in a particular way to say something, but also avoid saying certain things,” she said.

Legal Letters and Later Statements

In lawyers' communications before the release of the investigation, Farage’s legal team claimed that “the allegation that Mr Farage ever engaged in, supported, or led racist or antisemitic behaviour is strongly rejected”.

Farage later appeared to change his position in an discussion, stating: “Did I say things 50 years ago that you could see as being teenage humour, you could interpret in a contemporary context today in some sort of way? Perhaps.”

He said that he had “never directly attempted to go and hurt anybody”. Farage subsequently issued a fresh denial: “I can tell you definitely that I did not say the things that have been printed aged 13, decades in the past.”