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The UK's attorney general, one of the most senior Jewish ministers, has demanded Nigel Farage to issue an apology to former schoolmates who claim he racially abused them during their years in education.

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

“In his replies to valid inquiries, not once has Farage genuinely condemned antisemitism,” Hermer stated to a news outlet.

Further Testimonies Come to Light

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

One, Peter Ettedgui, described that a 13-year-old Farage "would approach me and growl: ‘The Nazi leader was correct’ or ‘send them to the gas chambers’, at times making a long hiss to mimic the sound of the Nazi gas chambers”.

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

“He walked up to a pupil accompanied by two similarly tall mates and spoke to anyone looking ‘different’,” the former student said. “That included me on three occasions; inquiring where I was from, and gesturing, saying: ‘That's how you get back,’ to any place you answered you were from.”

After the story broke, additional individuals have come forward; about 20 people have now claimed they were either targets of or observed hurtful actions by Farage.

The alleged events they outlined span the period when Farage was aged between 13 and 18.

Changing Stories

The Reform leader has disputed that anything he did was "directly" racist or antisemitic, and has claimed the former classmates were misremembering.

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

They also cite his failure to sanction a fellow Reform MP, Sarah Pochin, after she expressed views about the number of people of colour she saw in television commercials. She later said sorry for the comments.

“Nigel Farage’s evolving narrative about his behaviour to his peers [is] not credible, to say the least,” Hermer commented.

He added: “Suggesting that a group of people have all forgotten the same things about his nasty behaviour simply isn’t credible."

Demand for Accountability

“If he wishes to be seen as a serious contender for the top job, he has to confront the anxieties of the Jewish community, and say sorry to the those he has obviously deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer concluded.

“Bigotry in all its forms is completely opposed to the values of this country and we cannot allow it to ever become normalised in politics.”

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

“It is very telling 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 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 lawyers stated that “the implication that Mr Farage ever engaged in, approved of, or led this behaviour is categorically denied”.

Farage later appeared to change his position in an appearance, stating: “Have I said things as a youth that you could see as being teenage humour, you could interpret in a contemporary context today in some sort of way? Perhaps.”

He commented that he had “not once intentionally sought to go and hurt anybody”. Farage subsequently put out a new statement: “I can tell you definitely that I did not say the things that have been published as a 13-year-old, decades in the past.”