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The UK's top law officer, 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 school days.

Hermer said that Farage had "undoubtedly deeply hurt" many people, according to their accounts of his past behaviour. He commented that the leader's "evolving" explanations had been difficult to believe.

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

Fresh Claims Emerge

A series of inquiries last month detailed the statements of over a dozen former classmates of Farage from a south London school.

One, a former pupil, described that a 13-year-old Farage "came up to me and utter: ‘The Nazi leader was correct’ or ‘gas them’, sometimes adding 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 singled out by a older Farage.

“He came over to a pupil with two tall mates and addressed anyone looking ‘other’,” the person said. “That happened to me on three separate times; inquiring where I was from, and pointing away, saying: ‘That's how you get back,’ to any place you replied you were from.”

After the story broke, more people have come forward; approximately twenty people have now alleged they were either subject to or saw highly inappropriate actions by Farage.

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

Evolving Explanations

The political figure has rejected that anything he did was "explicitly" racist or antisemitic, and has claimed the former classmates were being untruthful.

Critics have highlighted that Farage has not managed to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism in a wider sense in his responses.

They also reference his inability to sanction a fellow Reform MP, Sarah Pochin, after she complained about the number of black and brown people she saw in adverts. She later apologised for the remarks.

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

He went on to say: “Arguing that 20 people have somehow recalled incorrectly the same things about his nasty behaviour simply lacks credibility."

Question of Character

“If he aspires to be seen as a credible figure for high office, he urgently needs acknowledge the anxieties of the Jewish community, and say sorry to the numerous individuals he has obviously deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer stated.

“Prejudice in all its forms is abhorrent to the principles of this country and we should not let it to ever become legitimised in public life.”

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

“It speaks volumes how little he has to say, and the guarded phrasing that both you and I would recognise as being crafted in a certain style to communicate, but also avoid saying certain things,” she noted.

Formal Denials and Subsequent Comments

In formal correspondence before the publication of the investigation, Farage’s lawyers stated that “the allegation that Mr Farage ever engaged in, approved of, or led such conduct is completely refuted”.

Farage later appeared to change his stance in an appearance, remarking: “Have I said things 50 years ago that you could interpret as being playground talk, you could interpret in a contemporary context today in a certain manner? Possibly.”

He commented that he had “never directly sought to go and harm anybody”. Farage later issued a fresh denial: “I can tell you definitely that I did not say the things that have been reported aged 13, so long ago.”