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The UK's top law officer, one of the most senior Jewish ministers, has called on 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 "obviously deeply hurt" many people, according to their accounts of his past behaviour. He added that the politician's "evolving" explanations had been unconvincing.

“Throughout his replies to legitimate questions, not once has Farage actually condemned antisemitism,” Hermer stated to a publication.

New Allegations Surface

A series of inquiries last month documented the accounts of over a dozen one-time schoolmates of Farage from Dulwich College.

One, a former pupil, described that a teenage Farage "came up to me and say: ‘Hitler was right’ or ‘send them to the gas chambers’, sometimes adding a long hiss to mimic the sound of the gas showers”.

Another student of colour 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 similarly tall mates and addressed anyone looking ‘unusual’,” the individual said. “That included me on three separate times; questioning me where I was from, and motioning, saying: ‘That's how you get back,’ to wherever you answered you were from.”

Since then, more people have emerged; approximately twenty people have now alleged they were either subject to or observed deeply offensive conduct by Farage.

The behaviour they described cover the period when Farage was aged 13 to 18.

Evolving Explanations

The political figure has denied that anything he did was "blatantly" racist or antisemitic, and has claimed the accusers were not telling the truth.

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

They also point to his failure to discipline a party member, Sarah Pochin, after she expressed views about the number of black and brown people she saw in television commercials. She later expressed regret for the remarks.

“Nigel Farage’s shifting account about his behaviour to his Jewish classmates [is] unconvincing, to say the least,” Hermer commented.

He went on to say: “Claiming that 20 people have all forgotten the same things about his nasty behaviour simply isn’t credible."

Demand for Accountability

“If he wants to be seen as a legitimate candidate for the top job, he must confront the anxieties of the Jewish people, and say sorry to the many people he has obviously deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer concluded.

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

In a other comments, Rachel Reeves said Farage should “say something” if he wanted to appear as a true statesman.

“It speaks volumes how very little he has to say, and the precisely drafted words that both you and I would identify as being written in a certain style to communicate, but also dodge the issue,” she noted.

Formal Denials and Subsequent Comments

In formal correspondence before the publication of the report, Farage’s representatives asserted that “the suggestion that Mr Farage ever was involved in, supported, or led such conduct is categorically denied”.

Farage later seemingly shifted his position in an appearance, remarking: “Have I said things decades ago that you could view as being banter, you could interpret in a today's standards today in some sort of way? Yes.”

He commented that he had “never directly really tried to go and hurt anybody”. Farage afterwards put out a fresh denial: “I can tell you categorically that I did not say the things that have been reported when I was 13, nearly 50 years ago.”