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The United Kingdom's attorney general, one of the most senior Jewish ministers, has urged the Reform UK leader to apologise to school contemporaries who claim he racially abused them during their time at school.

Hermer remarked that Farage had "undoubtedly deeply hurt" many people, judging by their testimonies of his past behaviour. He noted that the leader's "shifting" explanations had been difficult to believe.

“During his answers to legitimate questions, not once has Farage actually condemned antisemitism,” Hermer told a news outlet.

New Allegations Come to Light

A series of inquiries last month detailed the accounts of over a dozen former classmates of Farage from Dulwich College.

One, a former pupil, described that a teenage Farage "would sidle up to me and utter: ‘Hitler was right’ or ‘gas them’, at times making a long hiss to mimic the sound of the gas showers”.

Another pupil from an ethnic minority stated that when he was about nine, he was similarly targeted by a older Farage.

“He came over to a pupil accompanied by two equally tall mates and targeted anyone looking ‘different’,” the former student said. “That happened to me on three occasions; questioning me where I was from, and motioning, saying: ‘Go back that way,’ to wherever you answered you were from.”

After the story broke, others have come forward; about 20 people have now alleged they were either targets of or witnesses to deeply offensive conduct by Farage.

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

Changing Stories

The Reform leader has disputed 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 more broadly in his statements.

They also point to his inability to sanction a fellow Reform MP, Sarah Pochin, after she made remarks about the number of black and brown people she saw in adverts. She later said sorry for the statements.

“His constantly changing story about his behaviour to his schoolmates [is] not credible, to say the least,” Hermer commented.

He added: “Suggesting that 20 people have all recalled incorrectly the same things about his hurtful behaviour simply lacks credibility."

Question of Character

“If he wishes to be seen as a serious contender for high office, he urgently needs address the fears of the Jewish community, and apologise to the many people he has obviously deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer said.

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

In a other comments, a senior politician said Farage should “make a statement” if he wanted to look like a true statesman.

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

Legal Letters and Later Statements

In lawyers' communications before the publication of the report, Farage’s legal team asserted that “the suggestion that Mr Farage ever engaged in, condoned, or led such conduct is strongly rejected”.

Farage later altered his explanation in an interview, stating: “Did I say things as a youth that you could interpret as being teenage humour, you could interpret in a contemporary context today in a certain manner? Perhaps.”

He added that he had “never directly attempted to go and hurt anybody”. Farage subsequently released a fresh denial: “I can tell you unequivocally that I did not say the things that have been printed when I was 13, so long ago.”