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The UK's top law officer, one of the most senior Jewish ministers, has urged the Reform UK leader to issue an apology to former schoolmates who assert he targeted with racist abuse them during their school days.

Hermer said that Farage had "clearly deeply hurt" many people, based on their testimonies of his past behaviour. He added that the politician's "shifting" explanations had been difficult to believe.

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

Fresh Claims Surface

A recent investigation last month documented the accounts of several ex-pupils of Farage from a private college.

One, Peter Ettedgui, said that a teenage Farage "would approach me and utter: ‘The Nazi leader was correct’ or ‘gas them’, at times making a long hiss to mimic the sound of the gas showers”.

Another pupil from an ethnic minority alleged that when he was roughly nine years old, he was similarly targeted by a 17-year-old Farage.

“He approached a pupil flanked by two similarly tall mates and spoke to anyone looking ‘other’,” the individual said. “That included me on three separate times; inquiring where I was from, and motioning, saying: ‘That’s the way back,’ to wherever you replied you were from.”

Since then, more people have come forward; approximately twenty people have now claimed they were either victims of or saw deeply offensive conduct by Farage.

The alleged events they outlined cover the period when Farage was aged between 13 and 18.

Denials and Shifting Positions

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

Commentators have noted that Farage has failed to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism in a wider sense in his statements.

They also reference his reluctance to discipline a party member, a MP, after she expressed views about the number of black and brown people she saw in adverts. She later apologised for the statements.

“Nigel Farage’s shifting account about his behaviour to his schoolmates [is] not credible, to say the least,” Hermer commented.

He went on to say: “Arguing that 20 people have all misremembered the same things about his offensive behaviour simply lacks credibility."

Demand for Accountability

“If he aspires to be seen as a legitimate candidate for prime minister, he urgently needs address the fears of the Jewish community, and say sorry to the those he has obviously deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer stated.

“Bigotry in all its forms is completely opposed to the standards of this country and we cannot allow it to ever become accepted in public life.”

In a other comments, 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 precisely drafted words that both you and I would recognise as being written in a specific manner to communicate, but also avoid saying certain things,” she said.

Formal Denials and Subsequent Comments

In formal correspondence before the release of the investigation, Farage’s lawyers asserted that “the suggestion that Mr Farage ever engaged in, approved of, or led this behaviour is strongly rejected”.

Farage later seemingly shifted his position in an discussion, stating: “Have I said things 50 years ago that you could interpret as being teenage humour, you could interpret in a modern light today in some way? Perhaps.”

He said that he had “not ever purposely sought to go and upset anybody”. Farage afterwards put out a further comment: “I can tell you unequivocally that I did not say the things that have been reported when I was 13, so long ago.”