Reform UK leader Nigel Farage is under intense scrutiny following disturbing allegations about his behaviour during his school years at Dulwich College in south London.
Multiple former classmates have come forward with claims that Mr Farage made racist and antisemitic remarks, including pro-Hitler comments and jokes about gas chambers, during the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Shocking Accounts from School Peers
Bafta- and Emmy-winning director Peter Ettedgui, who was 13 at the time, gave a detailed account to The Guardian. He stated that Mr Farage would tell him "Hitler was right" and would say "Gas them"
Mr Ettedgui, whose grandparents escaped Nazi Germany, described the experience as deeply shocking, noting it was his first encounter with antisemitism. He further claimed Mr Farage used racial slurs like "P**i" and "W*g" towards other students, telling them to "go home".
Other former pupils corroborated these accounts. Patrick Neylan, an editor now aged 61, recalled singing a "gas 'em" song during Combined Cadet Force (CCF) camps. Tim France, also 61 and in the same year as Mr Farage, claimed he would "regularly" perform the Nazi "Sieg heil" salute in the classroom and chant "BM, BM, we are British Nazi men".
Further Allegations and Political Fallout
NHS doctor Andy Field alleged that Mr Farage, who held a position of authority, once put a fellow student in detention "purely based on the colour of his skin".
The allegations have prompted strong reactions from political figures. Labour MP Anna Turley, Chair of the Labour Party, stated: "These are disturbing allegations and it is vital that Nigel Farage now urgently explains himself." She accused Reform UK of dragging politics to a "dark place".
Liberal Democrat MP Josh Babarinde echoed these concerns, calling the claims "profoundly disturbing" and demanding an apology if they are proven true.
Reform UK's Response and Historical Context
A spokesperson for Reform UK issued a firm denial, calling the allegations "entirely without foundation". The statement criticised The Guardian for producing no "contemporaneous record or corroborating evidence" and suggested the story was a politically motivated attempt to smear the party, which has been leading in opinion polls.
This is not the first time Mr Farage's youth has been questioned. Earlier this year, Deputy PM David Lammy apologised after referencing a Channel 4 News report from over a decade ago that alleged Mr Farage and others had "marched through a quiet Sussex village very late at night shouting Hitler Youth songs".
It is important to note that there is no suggestion Mr Farage, as an adult, holds the views ascribed to him as a teenager. Other students have stated they have no recollection of the behaviour described by his accusers.
