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The United Kingdom's attorney general, Richard Hermer, has demanded the Reform UK leader to issue an apology to former schoolmates who allege he targeted with racist abuse them during their years in education.

Hermer said that Farage had "obviously deeply hurt" many people, based on their testimonies of his alleged conduct. He noted that the leader's "evolving" explanations had been less than credible.

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

Fresh Claims Surface

A published report last month outlined the statements of several one-time schoolmates of Farage from a south London school.

One, a former pupil, recalled that a 13-year-old Farage "would sidle up to me and say: ‘The Nazi leader was correct’ or ‘send them to the gas chambers’, at times making a long hiss to imitate the sound of the gas showers”.

Another pupil from an ethnic minority claimed that when he was roughly nine years old, he was similarly targeted by a older Farage.

“He walked up to a pupil with two tall mates and addressed anyone looking ‘other’,” the individual said. “That involved me on three separate times; questioning me where I was from, and pointing away, saying: ‘That’s the way back,’ to wherever you said you were from.”

Since then, more people have stepped forward; around two dozen people have now claimed they were either victims of or witnesses to highly inappropriate actions by Farage.

The behaviour they described cover the period when Farage was aged between 13 and 18.

Denials and Shifting Positions

The political figure has denied that anything he did was "directly" racist or antisemitic, and has asserted the accusers were misremembering.

Critics have highlighted that Farage has failed to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism more broadly in his statements.

They also point to his reluctance to sanction a colleague in his party, a MP, after she expressed views about the number of black and brown people she saw in adverts. She later said sorry for the comments.

“Nigel Farage’s constantly changing story about his behaviour to his schoolmates [is] hard to believe, to say the least,” Hermer commented.

He went on to say: “Suggesting that 20 people have somehow forgotten the same things about his nasty behaviour simply isn’t credible."

Call for Leadership

“If he wishes 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 many people he has obviously deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer concluded.

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

In a other comments, a senior politician said Farage should “make a statement” if he wanted to be considered a genuine leader.

“It is very telling how little he has to say, and the guarded phrasing that both you and I would recognise as being written in a specific manner to say something, but also avoid saying certain things,” she remarked.

Legal Letters and Later Statements

In formal correspondence before the release of the investigation, Farage’s lawyers claimed that “the allegation that Mr Farage ever engaged in, condoned, or led such conduct is categorically denied”.

Farage later appeared to change his stance in an interview, remarking: “Did I say things 50 years ago that you could see as being playground talk, you could interpret in a modern light today in some sort of way? Yes.”

He commented that he had “not once intentionally really tried to go and hurt anybody”. Farage later released a further comment: “I can tell you unequivocally that I did not say the things that have been reported aged 13, nearly 50 years ago.”