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The United Kingdom's attorney general, one of the most senior Jewish ministers, has called on the Reform UK leader to apologise to school contemporaries who claim he targeted with racist abuse them during their school days.

Hermer stated that Farage had "undoubtedly deeply hurt" many people, according to their accounts of his actions as a youth. He commented that the leader's "evolving" denials had been unconvincing.

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

Further Testimonies Surface

A series of inquiries last month documented the accounts of over a dozen ex-pupils of Farage from a south London school.

One, Peter Ettedgui, described that a teenage Farage "would sidle up to me and utter: ‘The Nazi leader was correct’ or ‘gas them’, occasionally including a long hiss to mimic the sound of the Nazi gas chambers”.

Another minority ethnic pupil stated that when he was about nine, he was similarly targeted by a older Farage.

“He walked up to a pupil flanked by two tall mates and targeted anyone looking ‘different’,” the person said. “That happened to me on three separate times; inquiring where I was from, and gesturing, saying: ‘That's how you get back,’ to any place you said you were from.”

Since then, others have stepped forward; approximately twenty people have now alleged they were either subject to or witnesses to hurtful past behaviour by Farage.

The alleged events they outlined span the period when Farage was aged a teenager.

Evolving Explanations

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

Observers have pointed out that Farage has failed to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism in a wider sense in his responses.

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

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

He continued: “Claiming that a group of people have all forgotten the same things about his offensive behaviour simply lacks credibility."

Call for Leadership

“If he aspires to be seen as a legitimate candidate for high office, he has to address the concerns of the Jewish community, and say sorry to the numerous individuals he has obviously deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer concluded.

“Bigotry in all its forms is completely opposed to the values of this country and we cannot allow it to ever become normalised in public life.”

In a separate interview, a senior politician said Farage should “make a statement” if he wanted to look like a true statesman.

“It is very telling how little he has to say, and the guarded phrasing that both you and I would recognise as being crafted in a specific manner to communicate, but also not to say something,” she said.

Formal Denials and Subsequent Comments

In formal correspondence prior to the release of the investigation, Farage’s legal team stated that “the suggestion that Mr Farage ever took part in, supported, or led this behaviour is strongly rejected”.

Farage later appeared to change his explanation in an appearance, saying: “Have I said things 50 years ago that you could view as being teenage humour, you could interpret in a today's standards today in some sort of way? Yes.”

He commented that he had “not once intentionally really tried to go and hurt anybody”. Farage afterwards released a further comment: “I can tell you categorically that I did not say the things that have been printed aged 13, so long ago.”