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The UK's top law officer, Richard Hermer, has demanded the Reform UK leader to apologise to school contemporaries who allege he racially abused them during their time at school.

Hermer remarked that Farage had "undoubtedly deeply hurt" many people, judging by their accounts of his actions as a youth. He commented that the politician's "evolving" denials had been unconvincing.

“In his replies to valid inquiries, not once has Farage truly condemned antisemitism,” Hermer told a news outlet.

Fresh Claims Emerge

A published report last month documented the statements of several ex-pupils of Farage from a south London school.

One, a former pupil, said that a teenage Farage "came up to me and say: ‘The Nazi leader was correct’ or ‘send them to the gas chambers’, occasionally including a long hiss to mimic the sound of the gas showers”.

Another minority ethnic pupil claimed that when he was roughly nine years old, he was subjected to similar treatment by a older Farage.

“He approached a pupil accompanied by two equally tall mates and targeted anyone looking ‘other’,” the former student said. “That involved me on three separate times; inquiring where I was from, and pointing away, saying: ‘Go back that way,’ to any place you replied you were from.”

After the story broke, others have come forward; about 20 people have now alleged they were either victims of or saw hurtful actions by Farage.

The behaviour they recounted relate to the period when Farage was aged a teenager.

Denials and Shifting Positions

The political figure has denied that anything he did was "explicitly" racist or antisemitic, and has asserted the individuals were being untruthful.

Critics have noted that Farage has failed to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism outright in his statements.

They also point to his inability to discipline a party member, Sarah Pochin, after she expressed views about the number of people of colour she saw in television commercials. She later apologised for the remarks.

“His shifting account about his behaviour to his Jewish classmates [is] not credible, to say the least,” Hermer said.

He added: “Arguing that 20 people have somehow forgotten the same things about his hurtful behaviour simply is not believable."

Question of Character

“If he aspires to be seen as a credible figure for prime minister, he urgently needs address the anxieties of the Jewish people, and say sorry to the those he has obviously deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer concluded.

“Racism in all its forms is completely opposed to the principles of this country and we must not permit it to ever become normalised in public life.”

In a other comments, Rachel Reeves said Farage should “say something” if he wanted to look like a genuine leader.

“It says a lot how very little he has to say, and the very careful language that both you and I would understand as being crafted in a particular way to communicate, but also not to say something,” she remarked.

Formal Denials and Subsequent Comments

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

Farage later appeared to change his position in an appearance, remarking: “Did I say things as a youth that you could see as being teenage humour, you could interpret in a today's standards today in some sort of way? Perhaps.”

He commented that he had “not once intentionally attempted to go and hurt anybody”. Farage subsequently put out a fresh denial: “I can tell you categorically that I did not say the things that have been reported when I was 13, nearly 50 years ago.”