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The UK's attorney general, one of the most senior Jewish ministers, has urged Nigel Farage to apologise to former schoolmates who claim he targeted with racist abuse them during their school days.

Hermer said that Farage had "obviously deeply hurt" many people, based on their accounts of his past behaviour. He added that the politician's "constantly changing" statements had been unconvincing.

“Throughout his replies to legitimate questions, not once has Farage actually condemned antisemitism,” Hermer stated to a publication.

New Allegations Come to Light

A series of inquiries last month outlined the testimony of several one-time schoolmates of Farage from a south London school.

One, Peter Ettedgui, 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 simulate the sound of the Nazi gas chambers”.

Another minority ethnic pupil alleged that when he was about nine, he was singled out by a older Farage.

“He walked up to a pupil flanked by two tall mates and spoke to anyone looking ‘other’,” the former student said. “That involved me on three separate times; asking me where I was from, and gesturing, saying: ‘That's how you get back,’ to any place you answered you were from.”

Since then, additional individuals have come forward; approximately twenty people have now stated they were either targets of or observed highly inappropriate actions by Farage.

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

Denials and Shifting Positions

The Reform leader has denied that anything he did was "blatantly" racist or antisemitic, and has asserted the former classmates were not telling the truth.

Critics have noted that Farage has neglected to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism in a wider sense in his statements.

They also point to his failure to reprimand a fellow Reform MP, Sarah Pochin, after she made remarks about the number of people of colour she saw in adverts. She later said sorry for the comments.

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

He added: “Arguing that 20 people have all misremembered the same things about his hurtful 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 concerns of the Jewish people, and apologise to the those he has clearly deeply hurt by his behaviour,” Hermer said.

“Prejudice in all its forms is abhorrent to the standards of this country and we must not permit it to ever become accepted in public life.”

In a other comments, the Chancellor said Farage should “make a statement” if he wanted to appear as a genuine leader.

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

Legal Letters and Later Statements

In formal correspondence before the publication of the report, Farage’s representatives stated that “the allegation that Mr Farage ever was involved in, supported, or led such conduct is completely refuted”.

Farage later seemingly shifted his position in an appearance, saying: “Did I say things decades ago that you could interpret as being banter, you could interpret in a today's standards today in a certain manner? Perhaps.”

He commented that he had “not once intentionally sought to go and harm anybody”. Farage later issued a further comment: “I can tell you categorically that I did not say the things that have been reported when I was 13, nearly 50 years ago.”