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The UK's top law officer, Richard Hermer, has called on the Reform UK leader to apologise to former schoolmates who claim he targeted with racist abuse them during their school days.

Hermer remarked that Farage had "undoubtedly deeply hurt" many people, judging by their testimonies of his alleged conduct. He noted that the leader's "constantly changing" statements had been less than credible.

“In his replies to legitimate questions, not once has Farage truly condemned antisemitism,” Hermer informed a publication.

Fresh Claims Come to Light

A published report last month outlined 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’, occasionally including a long hiss to simulate the sound of the gas showers”.

Another minority ethnic pupil 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 equally tall mates and targeted anyone looking ‘other’,” the former student said. “That happened to me on three separate times; asking me where I was from, and gesturing, saying: ‘Go back that way,’ to wherever you replied you were from.”

Following the initial report, others have stepped forward; around two dozen people have now stated they were either targets of or observed deeply offensive past behaviour by Farage.

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

Evolving Explanations

The Reform leader has disputed that anything he did was "blatantly" racist or antisemitic, and has asserted the individuals were misremembering.

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

They also point to his failure to reprimand a fellow Reform MP, a MP, after she expressed views about the number of black and brown people she saw in adverts. She later said sorry for the comments.

“His evolving narrative about his behaviour to his peers [is] unconvincing, to say the least,” Hermer stated.

He continued: “Arguing that 20 people have somehow recalled incorrectly the same things about his offensive behaviour simply isn’t credible."

Call for Leadership

“If he wants to be seen as a credible figure for prime minister, he must confront the concerns of the Jewish community, and apologise to the many people he has obviously deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer concluded.

“Prejudice in all its forms is abhorrent to the principles of this country and we must not permit it to ever become legitimised in politics.”

In a other comments, a senior politician said Farage should “say something” if he wanted to look like a genuine leader.

“It says a lot how little he has to say, and the guarded phrasing that both you and I would understand as being crafted in a certain style to say something, but also not to say something,” she remarked.

Formal Denials and Subsequent Comments

In lawyers' communications before the release of the report, Farage’s representatives asserted that “the suggestion that Mr Farage ever took part in, approved of, or led racist or antisemitic behaviour is strongly rejected”.

Farage later appeared to change his stance in an interview, remarking: “Did I say things as a youth that you could interpret as being banter, you could interpret in a modern light today in some sort of way? Perhaps.”

He said that he had “never directly really tried to go and harm anybody”. Farage subsequently put out a further comment: “I can tell you categorically that I did not say the things that have been published when I was 13, nearly 50 years ago.”