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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 claim he targeted with racist abuse them during their school days.

Hermer remarked that Farage had "clearly deeply hurt" many people, according to their testimonies of his past behaviour. He commented that the politician's "evolving" explanations had been unconvincing.

“In his replies to valid inquiries, not once has Farage actually condemned antisemitism,” Hermer stated to a publication.

New Allegations Surface

A recent investigation last month outlined the testimony of several ex-pupils of Farage from a private college.

One, a former pupil, said that a 13-year-old Farage "would approach 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 student of colour alleged that when he was about nine, he was subjected to similar treatment by a 17-year-old Farage.

“He approached a pupil with two tall mates and addressed anyone looking ‘different’,” the former student said. “That included me on three occasions; questioning me 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 emerged; about 20 people have now alleged they were either targets of or saw hurtful conduct by Farage.

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

Evolving Explanations

The Reform leader has rejected that anything he did was "explicitly" racist or antisemitic, and has claimed the accusers were being untruthful.

Commentators have highlighted that Farage has failed to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism more broadly in his denials.

They also cite his inability to discipline a party member, a MP, after she made remarks about the number of ethnic minorities she saw in adverts. She later said sorry for the remarks.

“Nigel Farage’s evolving narrative about his behaviour to his Jewish classmates [is] unconvincing, to say the least,” Hermer said.

He added: “Claiming that two dozen individuals have all recalled incorrectly the same things about his nasty behaviour simply lacks credibility."

Call for Leadership

“If he wishes to be seen as a legitimate candidate for high office, he urgently needs address the fears of the Jewish people, and say sorry to the those he has clearly deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer said.

“Bigotry in all its forms is abhorrent to the standards of this country and we must not permit it to ever become normalised in politics.”

In a different discussion, a senior politician said Farage should “speak out” if he wanted to appear as a true statesman.

“It is very telling how very little he has to say, and the precisely drafted words that both you and I would recognise as being drafted in a certain style to communicate, but also dodge the issue,” she remarked.

Formal Denials and Subsequent Comments

In legal letters before the release of the investigation, Farage’s representatives claimed that “the implication that Mr Farage ever was involved in, approved of, or led racist or antisemitic behaviour is completely refuted”.

Farage later seemingly shifted his explanation in an discussion, remarking: “Have I said things decades ago that you could view as being teenage humour, you could interpret in a modern light today in some sort of way? Possibly.”

He added that he had “not once intentionally sought to go and harm anybody”. Farage later issued a fresh denial: “I can tell you categorically that I did not say the things that have been published as a 13-year-old, so long ago.”