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The UK's attorney general, Richard Hermer, has urged the Reform UK leader to apologise to school contemporaries who assert he targeted with racist abuse them during their years in education.

Hermer remarked that Farage had "obviously deeply hurt" many people, according to their testimonies of his actions as a youth. He commented that the politician's "shifting" denials had been less than credible.

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

New Allegations Emerge

A series of inquiries last month documented the statements of over a dozen former classmates of Farage from Dulwich College.

One, Peter Ettedgui, said that a 13-year-old Farage "came up to me and say: ‘Hitler was right’ or ‘send them to the gas chambers’, at times making a long hiss to imitate the sound of the Nazi gas chambers”.

Another minority ethnic pupil claimed that when he was about nine, he was subjected to similar treatment by a 17-year-old Farage.

“He came over to a pupil flanked by two tall mates and addressed anyone looking ‘unusual’,” the former student said. “That happened to me on three occasions; asking me where I was from, and pointing away, saying: ‘That's how you get back,’ to wherever you replied you were from.”

After the story broke, others have come forward; approximately twenty people have now alleged they were either subject to or witnesses to deeply offensive conduct by Farage.

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

Evolving Explanations

The political figure has rejected that anything he did was "directly" racist or antisemitic, and has claimed the accusers were not telling the truth.

Observers have pointed out that Farage has failed to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism outright in his statements.

They also reference his failure to reprimand a fellow Reform MP, Sarah Pochin, after she made remarks about the number of black and brown people she saw in adverts. She later expressed regret for the statements.

“His evolving narrative about his behaviour to his peers [is] hard to believe, to say the least,” Hermer stated.

He added: “Arguing that 20 people have somehow misremembered the same things about his offensive behaviour simply lacks credibility."

Question of Character

“If he wants to be seen as a legitimate candidate for prime minister, he must address the fears of the Jewish community, and say sorry to the those he has clearly deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer said.

“Bigotry in all its forms is abhorrent to the principles of this country and we must not permit it to ever become normalised in politics.”

In a other comments, a senior politician said Farage should “say something” if he wanted to appear as a genuine leader.

“It speaks volumes how little he has to say, and the guarded phrasing that both you and I would recognise as being drafted in a specific manner to communicate, but also avoid saying certain things,” she remarked.

Formal Denials and Subsequent Comments

In formal correspondence prior to the publication of the report, Farage’s legal team asserted that “the suggestion that Mr Farage ever took part in, approved of, or led this behaviour is strongly rejected”.

Farage later appeared to change his position in an discussion, remarking: “Have I said things as a youth that you could view as being banter, you could interpret in a today's standards today in a certain manner? Perhaps.”

He said that he had “never directly really tried to go and upset anybody”. Farage afterwards released a fresh denial: “I can tell you definitely that I did not say the things that have been reported as a 13-year-old, so long ago.”