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The UK's attorney general, Richard Hermer, has called on the Reform UK leader to apologise to former schoolmates who allege he racially abused them during their years in education.

Hermer said that Farage had "undoubtedly deeply hurt" many people, according to their accounts of his past behaviour. He added that the politician's "evolving" statements had been less than credible.

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

New Allegations Surface

A recent investigation last month documented the statements of over a dozen former classmates of Farage from a private college.

One, Peter Ettedgui, described that a teenage Farage "came up to me and say: ‘The Nazi leader was correct’ or ‘gas them’, sometimes adding a long hiss to mimic the sound of the Nazi gas chambers”.

Another pupil from an ethnic minority alleged that when he was about nine, he was singled out by a 17-year-old Farage.

“He approached a pupil accompanied by two similarly tall mates and addressed anyone looking ‘other’,” the former student said. “That included me on three occasions; asking me where I was from, and motioning, saying: ‘Go back that way,’ to any place you answered you were from.”

Since then, additional individuals have stepped forward; around two dozen people have now stated they were either victims of or observed hurtful past behaviour by Farage.

The incidents they described span the period when Farage was aged between 13 and 18.

Evolving Explanations

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

Critics have noted that Farage has failed to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism outright in his responses.

They also cite his reluctance to sanction a party member, a MP, after she complained about the number of black and brown people she saw in television commercials. She later said sorry for the comments.

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

He went on to say: “Suggesting that a group of people have all forgotten the same things about his nasty behaviour simply is not believable."

Demand for Accountability

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

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

In a separate interview, a senior politician said Farage should “make a statement” if he wanted to be considered a true statesman.

“It speaks volumes how little he has to say, and the very careful language that both you and I would identify as being drafted in a specific manner to say something, but also dodge the issue,” she noted.

Formal Denials and Subsequent Comments

In legal letters before the release of the report, Farage’s legal team stated that “the allegation that Mr Farage ever took part in, approved of, or led such conduct is categorically denied”.

Farage later appeared to change his position in an appearance, saying: “Did I say things decades ago that you could interpret as being playground talk, you could interpret in a modern light today in some way? Possibly.”

He said that he had “never directly really tried to go and upset anybody”. Farage later issued a new statement: “I can tell you definitely that I did not say the things that have been reported as a 13-year-old, decades in the past.”