The outgoing head of the UK's equalities watchdog has called on Nigel Farage to issue an unreserved apology to individuals who allege he targeted them with racist or antisemitic behaviour during their school days together.
Watchdog chief calls for apology despite Farage's denials
Kishwer Falkner, the crossbench peer who recently completed a five-year term as chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), stated that the Reform UK leader should apologise even if he rejects claims that he was deliberately racist. Falkner argued that an apology would be appropriate for people who say they were deeply hurt by his alleged actions as a teenager.
Her comments follow a Guardian report in which 28 of Farage's contemporaries from Dulwich College came forward with accounts of experiencing or witnessing such behaviour. Among them is Peter Ettedgui, 61, who is Jewish and claims Farage repeatedly told him "Hitler was right" or said "gas them" during their school years. Another former pupil, Yinka Bankole, alleges that a 17-year-old Farage once told him, "That's the way back to Africa," when he was younger and new to the school.
Farage's response and political reaction
Farage and his spokespeople have consistently denied making any malicious comments. They have suggested that the passage of time has led to misremembering and that some allegations are politically motivated. At a press conference last Thursday, Farage reacted with anger to broadcasters questioning him about the claims, accusing the BBC and ITV of hypocrisy by referencing shows from the 1970s and 1980s that contained offensive material.
When asked about Farage's stance by Sky News, Falkner expressed feeling "quite confused and disturbed." She acknowledged the challenge of contextualising events from nearly five decades ago but emphasised the simplicity of an apology. "Why can't he just offer an unreserved apology for any distress?" she questioned. "It seems to me that that would be the most genuine thing to say, if he is genuinely not a racist."
In previous encounters with the media, Farage has stated he is happy to apologise if he caused offence, insisting that while he might have said offensive things, it was "never with malice."
Growing pressure for clarity
The political pressure on Farage to address the allegations directly continues to mount. Speaking to Sky on Sunday, Helen Whately, the Conservative work and pensions spokesperson, urged him to be transparent. "I think first and foremost that Nigel Farage should be straight with the public on this question," she said. "There are some very serious accusations about things that he has said and done about the question of racism. And he needs to give people a straight answer."
The controversy emerges as Farage seeks to solidify Reform UK's presence, recently unveiling the party's first peer following a defection from the Conservatives. However, the resurfacing of these historical claims threatens to overshadow his political messaging, placing his past conduct and current response under intense public and media scrutiny.
