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The United Kingdom's attorney general, one of the most senior Jewish ministers, has demanded the Reform UK leader to apologise to former schoolmates who claim he racially abused them during their school days.

Hermer stated that Farage had "obviously deeply hurt" many people, according to their accounts of his past behaviour. He noted that the leader's "shifting" explanations had been less than credible.

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

New Allegations Emerge

A recent investigation last month detailed the statements of over a dozen ex-pupils of Farage from a private college.

One, a former pupil, described that a teenage Farage "came up to me and say: ‘The Nazi leader was correct’ or ‘gas them’, at times making a long hiss to simulate the sound of the gas showers”.

Another minority ethnic pupil claimed that when he was roughly nine years old, he was singled out by a 17-year-old Farage.

“He walked up to a pupil accompanied by two equally tall mates and targeted anyone looking ‘other’,” the individual said. “That involved me on three separate times; inquiring where I was from, and motioning, saying: ‘That's how you get back,’ to any place you said you were from.”

After the story broke, additional individuals have emerged; around two dozen people have now claimed they were either victims of or saw deeply offensive conduct by Farage.

The behaviour they described relate to the period when Farage was aged 13 to 18.

Denials and Shifting Positions

The Reform leader has disputed that anything he did was "directly" racist or antisemitic, and has suggested the individuals were not telling the truth.

Critics have noted that Farage has neglected to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism more broadly in his statements.

They also point to his failure to sanction a colleague in his party, a MP, after she made remarks about the number of ethnic minorities she saw in television commercials. She later said sorry for the comments.

“His shifting account about his behaviour to his peers [is] unconvincing, to say the least,” Hermer commented.

He went on to say: “Arguing that 20 people have all recalled incorrectly the same things about his nasty behaviour simply is not believable."

Call for Leadership

“If he wants to be seen as a legitimate candidate for prime minister, he has to confront the fears of the Jewish people, and apologise to the numerous individuals he has obviously deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer stated.

“Racism in all its forms is abhorrent to the standards of this country and we should not let it to ever become normalised in society.”

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

“It is very telling how very 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 said.

Legal Letters and Later Statements

In formal correspondence before the publication of the investigation, Farage’s representatives stated that “the suggestion that Mr Farage ever was involved in, approved of, or led racist or antisemitic behaviour is categorically denied”.

Farage later seemingly shifted his explanation in an discussion, saying: “Did I say things 50 years ago that you could interpret as being banter, you could interpret in a contemporary context today in a certain manner? Possibly.”

He said that he had “not ever purposely really tried to go and hurt anybody”. Farage later issued a further comment: “I can tell you definitely that I did not say the things that have been printed as a 13-year-old, nearly 50 years ago.”