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The United Kingdom's attorney general, 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 school days.

Hermer said that Farage had "obviously deeply hurt" many people, based on their testimonies of his actions as a youth. He noted that the leader's "constantly changing" statements had been difficult to believe.

“Throughout his answers to valid inquiries, not once has Farage truly condemned antisemitism,” Hermer told a publication.

Further Testimonies Surface

A recent investigation last month outlined the testimony of several former classmates of Farage from a private college.

One, a former pupil, recalled that a 13-year-old Farage "would approach me and growl: ‘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 claimed that when he was roughly nine years old, he was similarly targeted by a older Farage.

“He walked up to a pupil accompanied by two tall mates and addressed anyone looking ‘other’,” the former student said. “That included me on three separate times; inquiring where I was from, and pointing away, saying: ‘Go back that way,’ to any place you answered you were from.”

After the story broke, more people have emerged; around two dozen people have now stated they were either subject to or witnesses to deeply offensive conduct by Farage.

The alleged events they recounted cover the period when Farage was aged a teenager.

Denials and Shifting Positions

The Reform leader has denied that anything he did was "directly" racist or antisemitic, and has claimed the former classmates were misremembering.

Observers have pointed out that Farage has not managed to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism outright in his statements.

They also cite his inability to discipline a fellow Reform MP, a MP, after she complained about the number of people of colour she saw in adverts. She later expressed regret for the comments.

“Nigel Farage’s constantly changing story about his behaviour to his Jewish classmates [is] hard to believe, to say the least,” Hermer commented.

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

Call for Leadership

“If he wants to be seen as a credible figure for high office, he urgently needs confront the fears of the Jewish people, and say sorry to the those he has clearly deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer said.

“Prejudice in all its forms is abhorrent to the principles of this country and we cannot allow it to ever become normalised in politics.”

In a different discussion, Rachel Reeves said Farage should “speak out” if he wanted to appear as a real leader.

“It speaks volumes how very little he has to say, and the very careful language that both you and I would identify as being written in a specific manner to say something, but also not to say something,” she noted.

Formal Denials and Subsequent Comments

In legal letters before the release of the investigation, Farage’s lawyers claimed that “the suggestion that Mr Farage ever engaged in, supported, or led such conduct is strongly rejected”.

Farage later seemingly shifted his stance in an interview, remarking: “Have I said things decades ago that you could see as being banter, you could interpret in a modern light today in some sort of way? Perhaps.”

He added that he had “not ever purposely really tried to go and hurt 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, so long ago.”