Nigel Farage, the leader of the anti-immigrant Reform UK party, is under pressure over allegations he made racist and antisemitic remarks as a teenager at an elite school. Farage, 61, is currently polling as a possible next prime minister, which has brought renewed attention to claims from his youth.
Peter Ettedgui, a Jewish film director and former pupil at Dulwich College in south London, told The Guardian that Farage would make offensive comments in the 1970s, including saying “Hitler was right” and mimicking the sounds of gas chambers. Other former classmates said Farage performed the Nazi salute, sang racist songs, and as a prefect even put a child in detention because of their skin colour. The report cited allegations from more than a dozen former pupils.
Farage has denied the claims. He told reporters he “never, ever, ever” would have said or done such things directly to anyone. He suggested that any playground “banter” might be interpreted differently today, but he said he did not make the statements reported by The Guardian. Ettedgui, however, called Farage “fundamentally dishonest” for questioning the credibility of schoolmates.
The allegations are not entirely new; some were reported over a decade ago by veteran political reporter Michael Crick. But Farage’s recent rise to political prominence has brought them back into focus. Reform UK has been gaining in polls, winning its first MPs in last year’s general election, and now leads double digits over Labour in some surveys.
Experts say the claims may reinforce public views about Farage rather than change minds. Robert Ford, a politics professor at Manchester University, said Farage has long operated on the political margins, but now he is facing mainstream scrutiny. Ford also noted that other issues, like the prison sentence of Reform’s former leader in Wales for pro-Russian statements, could hurt the party further.
Opposition leader Keir Starmer said the allegations show Reform’s “true colours” and accused the party of being filled with pro-Putin propaganda. Farage and Reform UK have so far continued to reject the claims as false.