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The UK's attorney general, Richard Hermer, has urged the Reform UK leader to issue an apology to former schoolmates who claim he racially abused them during their years in education.

Hermer said that Farage had "obviously deeply hurt" many people, judging by their testimonies of his actions as a youth. He noted that the politician's "shifting" statements had been unconvincing.

“During his defensive responses to valid inquiries, not once has Farage truly condemned antisemitism,” Hermer stated to a news outlet.

Fresh Claims Come to Light

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

One, Peter Ettedgui, recalled that a 13-year-old Farage "would sidle up to me and say: ‘Hitler was right’ or ‘send them to the gas chambers’, sometimes adding a long hiss to imitate the sound of the gas showers”.

Another minority ethnic pupil alleged that when he was roughly nine years old, he was similarly targeted by a 17-year-old Farage.

“He walked up to a pupil accompanied by two similarly tall mates and spoke to anyone looking ‘other’,” the individual said. “That included me on three occasions; questioning me where I was from, and pointing away, saying: ‘That's how you get back,’ to any place you said you were from.”

Following the initial report, others have emerged; approximately twenty people have now claimed they were either subject to or witnesses to hurtful actions by Farage.

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

Changing Stories

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

Critics have noted that Farage has failed to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism outright in his statements.

They also cite his failure to sanction a party member, a MP, after she complained about the number of ethnic minorities she saw in television commercials. She later apologised for the remarks.

“His constantly changing story about his behaviour to his Jewish classmates [is] not credible, to say the least,” Hermer said.

He added: “Suggesting that a group of people have somehow recalled incorrectly the same things about his hurtful behaviour simply isn’t credible."

Call for Leadership

“If he wishes to be seen as a legitimate candidate for high office, he has to confront the anxieties of the Jewish community, and apologise to the many people he has clearly deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer said.

“Racism in all its forms is abhorrent to the values of this country and we cannot allow it to ever become accepted in politics.”

In a different discussion, a senior politician 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 very careful language that both you and I would recognise as being drafted in a specific manner to communicate, but also avoid saying certain things,” she noted.

Formal Denials and Subsequent Comments

In lawyers' communications prior to the publication of the investigation, Farage’s representatives asserted that “the implication that Mr Farage ever was involved in, approved of, or led such conduct is categorically denied”.

Farage later altered his stance in an discussion, remarking: “Have I said things decades ago that you could see as being teenage humour, you could interpret in a contemporary context today in some way? Possibly.”

He added that he had “not once intentionally really tried to go and hurt anybody”. Farage later put out a further comment: “I can tell you categorically that I did not say the things that have been published as a 13-year-old, nearly 50 years ago.”