Nigel Farage has forcefully denied ever saying anything racist "with malice" as he confronted a storm of allegations about his behaviour as a schoolboy nearly five decades ago. The Reform UK leader used a press conference in central London to mount a fierce attack on the BBC, which he accused of outrageous hypocrisy.
Farage's Fiery Denial and Media Attack
Speaking at the Institute of Directors, Farage stopped short of directly calling his accusers liars but grew visibly angry when questioned about the claims. The controversy centres on testimony from several former classmates at Dulwich College, including a Jewish contemporary who alleges Farage told him "Hitler was right" or "Gas them."
When pressed by the BBC about his deputy leader Richard Tice dismissing the accounts as "made-up twaddle," Farage lost his composure. He launched into a tirade against the broadcaster, declaring he would no longer speak to it and labelling its conduct "despicable" and "beyond belief."
The BBC and the 'Double Standards' Claim
Farage's central argument pivoted on what he described as the BBC's "double standards." He criticised presenter Emma Barnett's line of questioning and then broadened his assault to target the corporation's own historical output.
He demanded an apology from the BBC for content it broadcast in the 1970s and 1980s, specifically referencing comedian Bernard Manning, the fictional character Alf Garnett, and The Black and White Minstrel Show. "I cannot put up with the double standards of the BBC about what I’m alleged to have said 49 years ago, and what you were putting out on mainstream content," Farage stated.
A Letter of Support and 'Recollections May Vary'
In his defence, Farage read a letter he said came from another Jewish former schoolmate. This correspondent stated he never heard Farage racially abuse anyone, characterising the environment at Dulwich in the 1970s as one of "macho tongue-in-cheek schoolboy banter" that was sometimes offensive but "never with malice."
However, when repeatedly asked by journalists if accusers like producer Peter Ettedgui were lying, Farage pointedly declined to endorse Tice's description of their claims as lies. Later, questioned by ITV on whether the alleged events happened but were perceived differently, Farage offered the equivocal response: "Recollections may vary."
The Conservative Party swiftly seized on this phrasing, stating Farage had "just called a press conference and used it to rant at journalists over historic allegations of racism and antisemitism – allegations he has just admitted are true." The row underscores the intense scrutiny facing the Reform UK leader and the ongoing debate over historical behaviour and contemporary accountability in British politics.
