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

Hermer remarked that Farage had "clearly deeply hurt" many people, judging by their testimonies of his actions as a youth. He commented that the politician's "evolving" statements had been less than credible.

“During his defensive responses to legitimate questions, not once has Farage actually condemned antisemitism,” Hermer informed a news outlet.

Fresh Claims Come to Light

A series of inquiries last month documented the testimony of more than a dozen one-time schoolmates of Farage from a south London school.

One, Peter Ettedgui, said that a 13-year-old Farage "would sidle up to me and say: ‘Hitler was right’ or ‘send them to the gas chambers’, at times making 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 approached a pupil flanked by two similarly tall mates and spoke to anyone looking ‘unusual’,” the person said. “That happened to me on three separate times; inquiring where I was from, and pointing away, saying: ‘That's how you get back,’ to wherever you replied you were from.”

Following the initial report, additional individuals have stepped forward; about 20 people have now claimed they were either victims of or saw highly inappropriate past behaviour by Farage.

The behaviour they described cover the period when Farage was aged a teenager.

Evolving Explanations

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

Observers have highlighted that Farage has neglected to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism outright in his denials.

They also point to his inability to discipline a colleague in his party, a MP, after she made remarks about the number of ethnic minorities she saw in adverts. She later expressed regret for the statements.

“Nigel Farage’s evolving narrative about his behaviour to his Jewish classmates [is] not credible, to say the least,” Hermer commented.

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

Question of Character

“If he wants to be seen as a serious contender for high office, he urgently needs address the anxieties of the Jewish people, and apologise to the many people he has obviously deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer stated.

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

In a other comments, Rachel Reeves said Farage should “speak out” if he wanted to appear as a genuine leader.

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

Formal Denials and Subsequent Comments

In lawyers' communications prior to the publication of the report, Farage’s lawyers claimed that “the implication that Mr Farage ever engaged in, condoned, or led racist or antisemitic behaviour is categorically denied”.

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

He commented that he had “not once intentionally attempted to go and upset anybody”. Farage later released a further comment: “I can tell you categorically that I did not say the things that have been reported aged 13, nearly 50 years ago.”