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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 former schoolmates who claim he targeted with racist abuse them during their years in education.

Hermer remarked that Farage had "clearly deeply hurt" many people, judging by their accounts of his alleged conduct. He added that the leader's "evolving" denials had been unconvincing.

“In his replies to valid inquiries, not once has Farage genuinely condemned antisemitism,” Hermer told a news outlet.

New Allegations Come to Light

A series of inquiries last month outlined the testimony of more than a dozen one-time schoolmates of Farage from a south London school.

One, a former pupil, described that a teenage Farage "would sidle up to me and growl: ‘The Nazi leader was correct’ or ‘send them to the gas chambers’, at times making a long hiss to imitate the sound of the gas showers”.

Another student of colour alleged that when he was about nine, he was singled out by a 17-year-old Farage.

“He walked up to a pupil accompanied by two similarly tall mates and addressed anyone looking ‘different’,” the former student said. “That included me on three occasions; asking me where I was from, and gesturing, saying: ‘That’s the way back,’ to wherever you answered you were from.”

Since then, more people have emerged; around two dozen people have now claimed they were either victims of or witnesses to deeply offensive conduct by Farage.

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

Changing Stories

The Reform leader has disputed that anything he did was "blatantly" racist or antisemitic, and has claimed the individuals were not telling the truth.

Critics have highlighted that Farage has failed to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism in a wider sense in his responses.

They also cite his failure to reprimand a colleague in his party, Sarah Pochin, after she complained about the number of ethnic minorities she saw in television commercials. She later expressed regret for the statements.

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

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

Demand for Accountability

“If he wants to be seen as a credible figure for the top job, he must address the concerns of the Jewish people, and apologise to the those he has obviously deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer concluded.

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

In a separate interview, Rachel Reeves said Farage should “speak out” if he wanted to be considered a genuine leader.

“It speaks volumes how little he has to say, and the precisely drafted words that both you and I would understand as being drafted in a specific manner to say something, but also not to say something,” she noted.

Legal Letters and Later Statements

In lawyers' communications before the release of the report, Farage’s representatives claimed that “the implication that Mr Farage ever took part in, supported, or led racist or antisemitic behaviour is categorically denied”.

Farage later seemingly shifted his position in an appearance, stating: “Did I say things 50 years ago that you could view as being banter, you could interpret in a modern light today in a certain manner? Yes.”

He added that he had “not once intentionally attempted to go and upset anybody”. Farage afterwards issued a new statement: “I can tell you definitely that I did not say the things that have been reported as a 13-year-old, so long ago.”