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The UK's top law officer, Richard Hermer, has urged the Reform UK leader to issue an apology to school contemporaries who assert he racially abused them during their years in education.

Hermer stated that Farage had "obviously deeply hurt" many people, judging by their descriptions of his past behaviour. He added that the leader's "evolving" denials had been less than credible.

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

Fresh Claims Surface

A published report last month documented the statements of more than a dozen ex-pupils of Farage from a private college.

One, a former pupil, described that a 13-year-old Farage "came up to me and say: ‘Hitler was right’ or ‘gas them’, at times making a long hiss to mimic the sound of the Nazi gas chambers”.

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

“He came over to a pupil accompanied by two equally tall mates and targeted anyone looking ‘unusual’,” the individual said. “That included me on three separate times; asking me where I was from, and gesturing, saying: ‘That’s the way back,’ to any place you answered you were from.”

After the story broke, more people have stepped forward; around two dozen people have now alleged they were either victims of or saw hurtful past behaviour by Farage.

The alleged events they recounted span the period when Farage was aged 13 to 18.

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 responses.

They also point to his inability to discipline a party member, a MP, after she complained about the number of black and brown people she saw in adverts. She later said sorry for the comments.

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

He went on to say: “Suggesting that two dozen individuals have somehow recalled incorrectly the same things about his offensive behaviour simply is not believable."

Question of Character

“If he aspires to be seen as a serious contender for high office, he must acknowledge the concerns of the Jewish people, and say sorry to the many people he has obviously deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer said.

“Bigotry in all its forms is completely opposed to the standards of this country and we cannot allow it to ever become legitimised in society.”

In a other comments, a senior politician said Farage should “make a statement” if he wanted to appear as a genuine leader.

“It speaks volumes how little he has to say, and the very careful language that both you and I would understand as being written in a specific manner to communicate, but also not to say something,” she remarked.

Formal Denials and Subsequent Comments

In formal correspondence before the release of the report, Farage’s representatives stated that “the allegation that Mr Farage ever engaged in, approved of, or led this behaviour is completely refuted”.

Farage later appeared to change his explanation in an discussion, remarking: “Have I said things 50 years ago that you could see as being banter, you could interpret in a modern light today in a certain manner? Possibly.”

He said that he had “not once intentionally really tried to go and hurt anybody”. Farage later issued a fresh denial: “I can tell you categorically that I did not say the things that have been printed when I was 13, decades in the past.”