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The United Kingdom's attorney general, Richard Hermer, has urged the Reform UK leader to issue an apology to school contemporaries who allege he targeted with racist abuse them during their years in education.

Hermer remarked that Farage had "obviously deeply hurt" many people, based on their descriptions of his alleged conduct. He commented that the politician's "evolving" denials had been unconvincing.

“During his replies to legitimate questions, not once has Farage genuinely condemned antisemitism,” Hermer told a publication.

Fresh Claims Come to Light

A series of inquiries last month detailed the testimony of more than a dozen former classmates of Farage from Dulwich College.

One, Peter Ettedgui, said that a 13-year-old Farage "would approach me and say: ‘The Nazi leader was correct’ or ‘gas them’, sometimes adding a long hiss to simulate the sound of the Nazi gas chambers”.

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

“He came over to a pupil flanked by two similarly tall mates and addressed anyone looking ‘other’,” the individual said. “That included me on three separate times; inquiring where I was from, and pointing away, saying: ‘Go back that way,’ to any place you replied 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 deeply offensive past behaviour by Farage.

The alleged events they described relate to the period when Farage was aged between 13 and 18.

Changing Stories

The Reform leader has denied that anything he did was "blatantly" racist or antisemitic, and has asserted the accusers were not telling the truth.

Critics have highlighted that Farage has neglected to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism in a wider sense in his responses.

They also cite his reluctance to sanction a fellow Reform MP, a MP, after she made remarks about the number of ethnic minorities she saw in television commercials. She later expressed regret for the remarks.

“His evolving narrative about his behaviour to his peers [is] not credible, to say the least,” Hermer stated.

He added: “Claiming that 20 people have all misremembered the same things about his offensive behaviour simply lacks credibility."

Demand for Accountability

“If he wishes to be seen as a credible figure for prime minister, he must acknowledge the fears of the Jewish community, and say sorry to the many people he has obviously deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer stated.

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

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

“It says a lot how very little he has to say, and the precisely drafted words that both you and I would understand as being written in a particular way to say something, but also avoid saying certain things,” she remarked.

Formal Denials and Subsequent Comments

In lawyers' communications before the publication of the report, Farage’s representatives asserted that “the allegation that Mr Farage ever was involved in, condoned, or led this behaviour is strongly rejected”.

Farage later appeared to change his position in an appearance, saying: “Did I say things decades ago that you could view as being playground talk, you could interpret in a today's standards today in some way? Perhaps.”

He said that he had “not ever purposely sought to go and hurt anybody”. Farage afterwards put out a new statement: “I can tell you unequivocally that I did not say the things that have been reported when I was 13, decades in the past.”