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The United Kingdom's top law officer, one of the most senior Jewish ministers, has demanded the Reform UK leader to issue an apology to school contemporaries who allege he racially abused them during their years in education.

Hermer said that Farage had "clearly deeply hurt" many people, judging by their descriptions of his actions as a youth. He noted that the politician's "constantly changing" statements had been less than credible.

“In his defensive responses to valid inquiries, not once has Farage actually condemned antisemitism,” Hermer informed a publication.

New Allegations Come to Light

A series of inquiries last month detailed the testimony of more than a dozen ex-pupils of Farage from Dulwich College.

One, Peter Ettedgui, described that a 13-year-old Farage "came up to me and utter: ‘Hitler was right’ or ‘send them to the gas chambers’, at times making a long hiss to simulate the sound of the Nazi gas chambers”.

Another pupil from an ethnic minority alleged that when he was roughly nine years old, he was singled out by a older Farage.

“He approached a pupil flanked by two equally tall mates and addressed anyone looking ‘different’,” the individual said. “That involved me on three occasions; inquiring where I was from, and pointing away, saying: ‘That's how you get back,’ to wherever you answered you were from.”

Since then, additional individuals have stepped forward; about 20 people have now stated they were either victims of or witnesses to hurtful conduct by Farage.

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

Denials and Shifting Positions

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

Critics have highlighted that Farage has failed to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism more broadly in his statements.

They also point to his reluctance to sanction a colleague in his party, a MP, after she complained about the number of people of colour she saw in television commercials. She later said sorry for the remarks.

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

He went on to say: “Suggesting that two dozen individuals have all forgotten the same things about his nasty behaviour simply isn’t credible."

Call for Leadership

“If he aspires to be seen as a legitimate candidate for the top job, he must address the fears of the Jewish community, and apologise to the many people he has clearly deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer concluded.

“Bigotry in all its forms is abhorrent 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 look like a real leader.

“It says a lot how little he has to say, and the precisely drafted words that both you and I would recognise as being crafted in a specific manner to communicate, but also avoid saying certain things,” she noted.

Legal Letters and Later Statements

In formal correspondence prior to the publication of the investigation, Farage’s lawyers stated that “the allegation that Mr Farage ever engaged in, supported, or led racist or antisemitic behaviour is strongly rejected”.

Farage later appeared to change his explanation in an appearance, remarking: “Did I say things 50 years ago that you could interpret as being playground talk, you could interpret in a contemporary context today in some way? Possibly.”

He added that he had “never directly attempted to go and upset anybody”. Farage later put out a further comment: “I can tell you categorically that I did not say the things that have been printed as a 13-year-old, decades in the past.”