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The UK's top law officer, Richard Hermer, has called on Nigel Farage to apologise to school contemporaries who claim he targeted with racist abuse them during their time at school.

Hermer said that Farage had "clearly deeply hurt" many people, based on their descriptions of his past behaviour. He commented that the leader's "evolving" statements had been less than credible.

“In his defensive responses to legitimate questions, not once has Farage actually condemned antisemitism,” Hermer told a news outlet.

New Allegations Emerge

A series of inquiries last month documented the testimony of more than a dozen one-time schoolmates of Farage from a private college.

One, a former pupil, described that a teenage Farage "would sidle up to me and say: ‘Hitler was right’ or ‘send them to the gas chambers’, at times making a long hiss to simulate the sound of the Nazi gas chambers”.

Another student of colour stated that when he was about nine, he was singled out by a older Farage.

“He approached a pupil accompanied by two tall mates and targeted anyone looking ‘different’,” the person said. “That happened to me on three occasions; inquiring where I was from, and pointing away, saying: ‘That's how you get back,’ to any place you answered you were from.”

After the story broke, others have emerged; about 20 people have now claimed they were either subject to or saw deeply offensive past behaviour by Farage.

The alleged events they described cover the period when Farage was aged 13 to 18.

Changing Stories

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

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

They also point to his inability to discipline a colleague in his party, a MP, after she complained about the number of people of colour she saw in adverts. She later said sorry for the remarks.

“Nigel Farage’s shifting account about his behaviour to his Jewish classmates [is] hard to believe, to say the least,” Hermer stated.

He continued: “Claiming that a group of people have all recalled incorrectly the same things about his hurtful behaviour simply lacks credibility."

Call for Leadership

“If he aspires to be seen as a serious contender for prime minister, he urgently needs acknowledge the concerns of the Jewish community, and say sorry to the those he has obviously deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer said.

“Prejudice in all its forms is anathema to the standards of this country and we should not let it to ever become legitimised in politics.”

In a separate interview, the Chancellor said Farage should “speak out” if he wanted to be considered a true statesman.

“It speaks volumes how very little he has to say, and the guarded phrasing that both you and I would identify as being drafted in a certain style to say something, but also not to say something,” she remarked.

Formal Denials and Subsequent Comments

In legal letters prior to the publication of the report, Farage’s representatives claimed that “the allegation that Mr Farage ever was involved in, supported, or led racist or antisemitic behaviour is categorically denied”.

Farage later seemingly shifted his explanation in an appearance, remarking: “Did I say things decades ago that you could interpret as being playground talk, you could interpret in a today's standards today in some sort of way? Yes.”

He commented that he had “not once intentionally sought to go and upset anybody”. Farage later put out a further comment: “I can tell you definitely that I did not say the things that have been printed as a 13-year-old, so long ago.”