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The UK's top law officer, one of the most senior Jewish ministers, has demanded the Reform UK leader to issue an apology to school contemporaries who claim he targeted with racist abuse them during their time at school.

Hermer said that Farage had "clearly deeply hurt" many people, according to their accounts of his actions as a youth. He added that the politician's "evolving" explanations had been less than credible.

“Throughout his answers to legitimate questions, not once has Farage truly condemned antisemitism,” Hermer informed a publication.

New Allegations Surface

A published report last month outlined the accounts of several one-time schoolmates of Farage from a south London school.

One, a former pupil, recalled that a 13-year-old Farage "would sidle up to me and growl: ‘Hitler was right’ or ‘send them to the gas chambers’, sometimes adding a long hiss to simulate the sound of the Nazi gas chambers”.

Another pupil from an ethnic minority stated that when he was roughly nine years old, he was subjected to similar treatment by a 17-year-old Farage.

“He walked up to a pupil flanked by two similarly tall mates and targeted anyone looking ‘unusual’,” the former student said. “That included me on three separate times; inquiring where I was from, and pointing away, saying: ‘That's how you get back,’ to any place you replied you were from.”

Since then, others have emerged; around two dozen people have now claimed they were either subject to or witnesses to deeply offensive past behaviour by Farage.

The incidents they recounted relate to the period when Farage was aged 13 to 18.

Evolving Explanations

The Reform leader has denied that anything he did was "directly" racist or antisemitic, and has suggested the individuals were being untruthful.

Observers have noted that Farage has neglected to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism in a wider sense in his denials.

They also reference his failure to discipline a fellow Reform MP, a MP, after she complained about the number of people of colour she saw in adverts. She later said sorry for the comments.

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

He went on to say: “Arguing that two dozen individuals have somehow recalled incorrectly the same things about his nasty behaviour simply lacks credibility."

Question of Character

“If he wants to be seen as a credible figure for the top job, he urgently needs address the concerns of the Jewish community, and apologise to the those he has obviously deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer concluded.

“Prejudice in all its forms is abhorrent to the principles of this country and we cannot allow it to ever become normalised in society.”

In a different discussion, Rachel Reeves 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 very careful language that both you and I would recognise as being drafted in a specific manner to say something, but also avoid saying certain things,” she remarked.

Legal Letters and Later Statements

In lawyers' communications before the publication of the report, Farage’s legal team claimed that “the allegation that Mr Farage ever was involved in, approved of, or led racist or antisemitic behaviour is completely refuted”.

Farage later altered his stance in an appearance, remarking: “Have I said things decades ago that you could view as being playground talk, you could interpret in a modern light today in a certain manner? Possibly.”

He added that he had “not ever purposely really tried to go and hurt anybody”. Farage later put out a fresh denial: “I can tell you unequivocally that I did not say the things that have been reported aged 13, so long ago.”