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

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

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

New Allegations Surface

A published report last month outlined the statements of more than a dozen ex-pupils of Farage from Dulwich College.

One, Peter Ettedgui, described that a teenage Farage "would approach me and growl: ‘The Nazi leader was correct’ or ‘send them to the gas chambers’, occasionally including a long hiss to simulate the sound of the gas showers”.

Another student of colour claimed that when he was about nine, he was singled out by a older Farage.

“He came over to a pupil with two tall mates and addressed anyone looking ‘different’,” the person said. “That involved me on three separate times; inquiring where I was from, and gesturing, saying: ‘That's how you get back,’ to wherever you replied you were from.”

Since then, others have emerged; around two dozen people have now stated they were either victims of or saw highly inappropriate actions by Farage.

The alleged events they outlined cover the period when Farage was aged 13 to 18.

Changing Stories

The Reform leader has denied that anything he did was "directly" racist or antisemitic, and has claimed the former classmates were not telling the truth.

Commentators have noted that Farage has not managed to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism more broadly in his statements.

They also point to his inability to sanction a colleague in his party, Sarah Pochin, after she made remarks about the number of black and brown people she saw in television commercials. She later said sorry for the remarks.

“Nigel Farage’s shifting account about his behaviour to his peers [is] hard to believe, to say the least,” Hermer stated.

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

Question of Character

“If he wishes to be seen as a serious contender for prime minister, he has to address the concerns of the Jewish community, and say sorry to the those he has obviously deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer said.

“Bigotry in all its forms is anathema to the values of this country and we should not let it to ever become accepted in public life.”

In a other comments, a senior politician said Farage should “say something” if he wanted to appear as a real leader.

“It says a lot how very little he has to say, and the guarded phrasing that both you and I would understand as being written 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 report, Farage’s lawyers stated that “the suggestion that Mr Farage ever engaged in, condoned, or led this behaviour is strongly rejected”.

Farage later altered his explanation in an interview, stating: “Have I said things decades ago that you could interpret as being playground talk, you could interpret in a contemporary context today in a certain manner? Yes.”

He added that he had “not ever purposely really tried to go and hurt anybody”. Farage later put out a further comment: “I can tell you unequivocally that I did not say the things that have been published as a 13-year-old, decades in the past.”