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The UK's top law officer, Richard Hermer, has urged the Reform UK leader to issue an apology to former schoolmates who allege he targeted with racist abuse them during their school days.

Hermer said that Farage had "obviously deeply hurt" many people, judging by their descriptions of his alleged conduct. He commented that the leader's "evolving" denials had been unconvincing.

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

Fresh Claims Emerge

A published report last month detailed the accounts of over a dozen one-time schoolmates of Farage from a south London school.

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

Another minority ethnic pupil claimed that when he was roughly nine years old, he was subjected to similar treatment by a older Farage.

“He came over to a pupil flanked by two equally tall mates and addressed anyone looking ‘unusual’,” the individual said. “That involved me on three occasions; questioning me where I was from, and pointing away, saying: ‘Go back that way,’ to wherever you replied you were from.”

Since then, more people have come forward; approximately twenty people have now stated they were either targets of or witnesses to highly inappropriate conduct by Farage.

The incidents they described cover the period when Farage was aged between 13 and 18.

Denials and Shifting Positions

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

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

They also reference his failure to sanction a party member, a MP, after she made remarks 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 peers [is] unconvincing, to say the least,” Hermer said.

He added: “Claiming that 20 people have all forgotten the same things about his nasty behaviour simply isn’t credible."

Question of Character

“If he wants to be seen as a credible figure for high office, he has to confront the concerns of the Jewish people, and say sorry to the many people he has clearly deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer said.

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

In a different discussion, a senior politician said Farage should “speak out” if he wanted to be considered 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 certain style to say something, but also not to say something,” she remarked.

Legal Letters and Later Statements

In lawyers' communications prior to the publication of the investigation, Farage’s representatives stated that “the allegation that Mr Farage ever engaged in, approved of, or led such conduct is completely refuted”.

Farage later seemingly shifted his position in an interview, remarking: “Have I said things as a youth that you could see as being playground talk, you could interpret in a contemporary context today in some way? Perhaps.”

He commented that he had “not once intentionally sought to go and harm anybody”. Farage subsequently put out a new statement: “I can tell you definitely that I did not say the things that have been printed when I was 13, decades in the past.”