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The UK's top law officer, Richard Hermer, has urged Nigel Farage to apologise to school contemporaries who allege he targeted with racist abuse them during their years in education.

Hermer stated that Farage had "clearly deeply hurt" many people, based on their descriptions of his past behaviour. He noted that the leader's "constantly changing" statements had been unconvincing.

“Throughout his answers to valid inquiries, not once has Farage genuinely condemned antisemitism,” Hermer stated to a publication.

Fresh Claims Emerge

A series of inquiries last month documented the accounts of several ex-pupils of Farage from a south London school.

One, a former pupil, said that a 13-year-old Farage "would sidle up to me and growl: ‘The Nazi leader was correct’ or ‘send them to the gas chambers’, occasionally including a long hiss to mimic the sound of the Nazi gas chambers”.

Another student of colour alleged that when he was roughly nine years old, he was singled out by a 17-year-old Farage.

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

Since then, additional individuals have come forward; about 20 people have now alleged they were either victims of or witnesses to deeply offensive actions by Farage.

The alleged events they described span the period when Farage was aged a teenager.

Changing Stories

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

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

They also point to his reluctance to sanction a fellow Reform MP, Sarah Pochin, after she expressed views about the number of people of colour she saw in adverts. She later apologised for the comments.

“His shifting account about his behaviour to his peers [is] hard to believe, to say the least,” Hermer commented.

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

Call for Leadership

“If he wants to be seen as a credible figure for the top job, he must confront the fears of the Jewish people, and say sorry to the numerous individuals he has clearly deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer stated.

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

In a separate interview, the Chancellor said Farage should “make a statement” if he wanted to look like a genuine leader.

“It speaks volumes how very little he has to say, and the precisely drafted words that both you and I would understand as being crafted in a specific manner to say something, but also avoid saying certain things,” she noted.

Legal Letters and Later Statements

In formal correspondence before the release of the report, Farage’s legal team asserted that “the suggestion that Mr Farage ever took part in, approved of, or led such conduct is completely refuted”.

Farage later seemingly shifted his stance in an appearance, stating: “Have I said things as a youth that you could view as being playground talk, you could interpret in a today's standards today in some way? Perhaps.”

He said that he had “not ever purposely attempted to go and upset anybody”. Farage later put out a new statement: “I can tell you categorically that I did not say the things that have been printed as a 13-year-old, decades in the past.”