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The UK's top law officer, Richard Hermer, has called on the Reform UK leader to issue an apology to school contemporaries who assert he racially abused them during their time at school.

Hermer stated that Farage had "obviously deeply hurt" many people, according to their accounts of his actions as a youth. He added that the politician's "constantly changing" statements had been difficult to believe.

“Throughout his answers to legitimate questions, not once has Farage genuinely condemned antisemitism,” Hermer stated to a publication.

Further Testimonies Surface

A series of inquiries last month outlined the accounts of several ex-pupils of Farage from a south London school.

One, a former pupil, recalled that a 13-year-old Farage "would sidle up to me and utter: ‘Hitler was right’ or ‘gas them’, occasionally including a long hiss to imitate the sound of the Nazi gas chambers”.

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

“He came over to a pupil accompanied by two similarly tall mates and addressed anyone looking ‘different’,” the individual said. “That happened to me on three separate times; asking me where I was from, and pointing away, saying: ‘Go back that way,’ to any place you answered you were from.”

Following the initial report, others have stepped forward; around two dozen people have now stated they were either subject to or observed highly inappropriate actions by Farage.

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

Changing Stories

The political figure has denied that anything he did was "blatantly" racist or antisemitic, and has claimed the individuals were being untruthful.

Critics have noted that Farage has not managed to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism more broadly in his responses.

They also reference his failure to reprimand a party member, Sarah Pochin, after she complained about the number of black and brown people she saw in adverts. She later apologised for the remarks.

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

He added: “Suggesting that a group of people have somehow recalled incorrectly the same things about his nasty behaviour simply is not believable."

Demand for Accountability

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

“Bigotry in all its forms is abhorrent to the values of this country and we must not permit it to ever become legitimised in public life.”

In a separate interview, Rachel Reeves said Farage should “speak out” if he wanted to look like a real leader.

“It speaks volumes how little he has to say, and the precisely drafted words that both you and I would recognise as being written in a particular way to say something, but also dodge the issue,” she said.

Legal Letters and Later Statements

In legal letters prior to the publication of the investigation, Farage’s legal team asserted that “the implication that Mr Farage ever took part in, condoned, or led racist or antisemitic behaviour is strongly rejected”.

Farage later appeared to change his explanation in an discussion, remarking: “Have I said things decades ago that you could see as being teenage humour, you could interpret in a today's standards today in some way? Possibly.”

He said that he had “never directly sought to go and upset anybody”. Farage afterwards put out a new statement: “I can tell you categorically that I did not say the things that have been reported as a 13-year-old, decades in the past.”