Senior government ministers have intensified pressure on Reform UK leader Nigel Farage to personally address what they describe as 'repulsive' allegations of racist behaviour during his time as a teenager at Dulwich College.
Growing Number of Witnesses Come Forward
The Guardian has now collected testimony from approximately 20 individuals who claim they either witnessed or were victims of abusive behaviour by Farage during the late 1970s and early 1980s. Despite the mounting accounts, Farage has yet to comment personally on the claims.
Science and Innovation Secretary Liz Kendall expressed being 'appalled by the descriptions' reported, while Welsh Secretary Jo Stevens questioned how much the Reform leader's views have genuinely evolved since his school days.
Detailed Allegations from School Contemporaries
Among the most specific accounts comes from award-winning director Peter Ettedgui, 61, who describes Farage deliberately targeting him after discovering his Jewish heritage. 'He'd kind of come up to me wherever we were,' Ettedgui recalled. 'Might be in the classroom. It might be in the school grounds. And he'd say things like, "Hitler was right" and "Gas em"'.
Ettedgui, whose film credits include Kinky Boots and the Christopher Reeve documentary, expressed frustration that Farage hasn't simply apologised for his alleged past conduct. He noted that the Reform leader's current political statements about mass deportations make confronting these historical allegations particularly relevant.
Contrasting Responses to Racism Claims
The blanket denial from Farage's aides marks a significant shift from his approach to previous allegations. When Channel 4's Michael Crick raised similar claims in 2013, Farage acknowledged he might have said 'some ridiculous things' while disputing their racist nature.
Reform spokespersons have dismissed the current allegations as 'entirely without foundation' and claimed they represent 'one person's word against another'. They've also suggested that 'if things like this happened a very, very long time ago, you can't necessarily recollect what happened'.
This response has drawn criticism from those coming forward, with Stevens emphasising that 'if he doesn't explain himself, the assumption will be that he did say that'. The Labour MP for Cardiff East added: 'Do you want that sort of man running the country? In a million years, I wouldn't want Nigel Farage running the United Kingdom.'
The controversy emerges as Reform maintains a significant position in the polls, with a recent YouGov survey showing the party ten percentage points ahead of Labour, adding political weight to the allegations against its leader.
