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The UK's top law officer, Richard Hermer, has called on the Reform UK leader to apologise to former schoolmates who allege he targeted with racist abuse them during their time at school.

Hermer said that Farage had "undoubtedly deeply hurt" many people, according to their accounts of his actions as a youth. He commented that the politician's "constantly changing" statements had been difficult to believe.

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

Fresh Claims Surface

A published report last month documented the accounts of over a dozen one-time schoolmates of Farage from a private college.

One, a former pupil, recalled that a teenage Farage "came up to me and utter: ‘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 about nine, he was singled out by a older Farage.

“He approached a pupil flanked by two tall mates and spoke to anyone looking ‘unusual’,” the person said. “That included me on three separate times; inquiring where I was from, and pointing away, saying: ‘That’s the way back,’ to any place you said you were from.”

Following the initial report, others have emerged; about 20 people have now alleged they were either targets of or observed highly inappropriate conduct by Farage.

The alleged events they recounted cover the period when Farage was aged a teenager.

Denials and Shifting Positions

The political figure has disputed that anything he did was "blatantly" racist or antisemitic, and has claimed the former classmates were misremembering.

Commentators have pointed out that Farage has not managed to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism outright in his denials.

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

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

He went on to say: “Claiming that two dozen individuals have all misremembered the same things about his hurtful behaviour simply isn’t credible."

Question of Character

“If he aspires to be seen as a legitimate candidate for prime minister, he urgently needs confront the concerns of the Jewish people, and apologise to the those he has obviously deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer said.

“Bigotry in all its forms is anathema to the principles of this country and we cannot allow it to ever become normalised in public life.”

In a other comments, the Chancellor said Farage should “speak out” if he wanted to be considered a real leader.

“It says a lot how little he has to say, and the precisely drafted words that both you and I would understand as being crafted in a certain style to communicate, but also dodge the issue,” she remarked.

Legal Letters and Later Statements

In legal letters prior to the publication of the investigation, Farage’s lawyers claimed that “the suggestion that Mr Farage ever was involved in, condoned, or led this behaviour is strongly rejected”.

Farage later appeared to change his explanation in an discussion, saying: “Did I say things 50 years ago that you could see as being banter, you could interpret in a today's standards today in some way? Possibly.”

He commented that he had “not once intentionally really tried to go and hurt anybody”. Farage later released a further comment: “I can tell you definitely that I did not say the things that have been reported aged 13, nearly 50 years ago.”