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The UK's attorney general, Richard Hermer, has urged Nigel Farage to issue an apology to school contemporaries who claim he targeted with racist abuse them during their school days.

Hermer remarked that Farage had "obviously deeply hurt" many people, based on their accounts of his alleged conduct. He noted that the politician's "constantly changing" denials had been less than credible.

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

New Allegations Surface

A recent investigation last month detailed the testimony of over a dozen ex-pupils of Farage from a south London school.

One, a former pupil, described that a 13-year-old Farage "came up to me and say: ‘The Nazi leader was correct’ or ‘send them to the gas chambers’, occasionally including a long hiss to simulate the sound of the gas showers”.

Another student of colour stated that when he was roughly nine years old, he was subjected to similar treatment by a 17-year-old Farage.

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

Following the initial report, more people have emerged; about 20 people have now alleged they were either targets of or observed highly inappropriate past behaviour by Farage.

The incidents they recounted relate to the period when Farage was aged between 13 and 18.

Changing Stories

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

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

They also point to his failure to discipline a colleague in his party, Sarah Pochin, after she made remarks about the number of black and brown people she saw in television commercials. She later expressed regret for the statements.

“His evolving narrative about his behaviour to his peers [is] unconvincing, to say the least,” Hermer said.

He went on to say: “Arguing that 20 people have all recalled incorrectly the same things about his offensive behaviour simply lacks credibility."

Demand for Accountability

“If he aspires to be seen as a legitimate candidate for the top job, he urgently needs confront the anxieties of the Jewish people, and apologise to the many people 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 cannot allow it to ever become accepted in politics.”

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

“It is very telling how little he has to say, and the guarded phrasing that both you and I would understand as being crafted in a particular way to communicate, but also dodge the issue,” she said.

Formal Denials and Subsequent Comments

In legal letters before the publication of the report, Farage’s legal team stated that “the implication that Mr Farage ever engaged in, condoned, or led such conduct is strongly rejected”.

Farage later altered his position in an discussion, saying: “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 way? Possibly.”

He commented that he had “never directly sought to go and harm anybody”. Farage later put out a new statement: “I can tell you categorically that I did not say the things that have been published when I was 13, so long ago.”