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The UK's top law officer, Richard Hermer, has demanded Nigel Farage to issue an apology to school contemporaries who assert he targeted with racist abuse them during their school days.

Hermer stated that Farage had "undoubtedly deeply hurt" many people, according to their accounts of his past behaviour. He noted that the leader's "constantly changing" explanations had been difficult to believe.

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

Fresh Claims Emerge

A recent investigation last month outlined the testimony of more than a dozen one-time schoolmates of Farage from a south London school.

One, a former pupil, said that a 13-year-old Farage "came up to me and utter: ‘Hitler was right’ or ‘gas them’, sometimes adding a long hiss to mimic the sound of the Nazi gas chambers”.

Another pupil from an ethnic minority stated that when he was roughly nine years old, he was singled out by a older Farage.

“He came over to a pupil accompanied by two similarly tall mates and addressed anyone looking ‘other’,” the person said. “That included me on three occasions; asking me where I was from, and gesturing, saying: ‘Go back that way,’ to any place you answered you were from.”

After the story broke, others have stepped forward; around two dozen people have now claimed they were either subject to or witnesses to highly inappropriate actions by Farage.

The behaviour they recounted relate to the period when Farage was aged 13 to 18.

Evolving Explanations

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

Commentators have pointed out that Farage has neglected to condemn antisemitism and other forms of racism more broadly in his responses.

They also point to his inability to sanction a colleague in his party, a MP, after she complained about the number of ethnic minorities she saw in adverts. She later apologised for the remarks.

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

He added: “Suggesting that a group of people have all recalled incorrectly the same things about his offensive behaviour simply is not believable."

Call for Leadership

“If he wants to be seen as a serious contender for prime minister, he urgently needs address the fears of the Jewish community, and apologise to the many people he has clearly 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 accepted in society.”

In a separate interview, the Chancellor said Farage should “speak out” if he wanted to be considered a real leader.

“It says a lot how very little he has to say, and the precisely drafted words that both you and I would recognise as being crafted in a certain style to communicate, but also dodge the issue,” she remarked.

Legal Letters and Later Statements

In lawyers' communications before the release of the report, Farage’s legal team stated that “the suggestion that Mr Farage ever engaged in, supported, or led racist or antisemitic behaviour is strongly rejected”.

Farage later seemingly shifted his stance in an appearance, remarking: “Have I said things decades ago that you could interpret as being banter, you could interpret in a today's standards today in some way? Possibly.”

He added that he had “not once intentionally attempted to go and upset anybody”. Farage afterwards put out a further comment: “I can tell you unequivocally that I did not say the things that have been printed aged 13, nearly 50 years ago.”