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The United Kingdom's top law officer, one of the most senior Jewish ministers, has called on Nigel Farage to issue an apology to former schoolmates who claim he racially abused them during their years in education.

Hermer said that Farage had "obviously deeply hurt" many people, according to their accounts of his alleged conduct. He commented that the politician's "evolving" explanations had been less than credible.

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

New Allegations Emerge

A series of inquiries last month outlined the accounts of over a dozen one-time schoolmates of Farage from a private college.

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

Another pupil from an ethnic minority claimed that when he was roughly nine years old, he was singled out by a older Farage.

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

Since then, others have come forward; about 20 people have now claimed they were either targets of or witnesses to highly inappropriate conduct by Farage.

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

Changing Stories

The Reform leader has disputed that anything he did was "blatantly" racist or antisemitic, and has suggested the accusers were misremembering.

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

They also cite his inability to reprimand a fellow Reform MP, a MP, after she expressed views about the number of people of colour she saw in adverts. She later expressed regret for the statements.

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

He added: “Arguing that 20 people have all forgotten the same things about his offensive behaviour simply isn’t credible."

Question of Character

“If he wishes to be seen as a legitimate candidate for the top job, he urgently needs confront the fears of the Jewish people, and say sorry to the many people he has obviously deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer said.

“Prejudice in all its forms is anathema to the principles 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 “make a statement” if he wanted to look like a genuine leader.

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

Legal Letters and Later Statements

In lawyers' communications before the publication of the report, Farage’s representatives claimed that “the implication that Mr Farage ever took part in, condoned, or led this behaviour is categorically denied”.

Farage later appeared to change his stance in an appearance, remarking: “Did I say things as a youth that you could see as being banter, you could interpret in a contemporary context today in some way? Possibly.”

He added that he had “not once intentionally really tried to go and hurt anybody”. Farage subsequently 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.”