On November 27, 2025, Nigel Farage, the leader of the anti-immigrant Reform UK party and a prominent figure in British politics, found himself at the center of a storm over allegations of racist and antisemitic behavior during his school years. The controversy, which has reignited old accusations and drawn sharp political lines, comes at a crucial moment as Farage’s party surges ahead in opinion polls, positioning him as a potential successor to Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
The allegations stem from Farage’s time at Dulwich College, an elite private school in south London, during the 1970s. According to The Guardian, more than a dozen of Farage’s former classmates have come forward with accounts of deeply offensive behavior. Among the most serious claims is that Farage would “sidle up to me and growl: ‘Hitler was right,’ or ‘gas them,’ sometimes adding a long hiss to simulate the sound of the gas showers,” as recounted by film director Peter Ettedgui, who is Jewish. Ettedgui has also told the BBC that Farage was being “fundamentally dishonest” in his denials, insisting that the accounts from former pupils were truthful and not motivated by political differences.
Pressed by journalists at a Westminster press conference on November 26, Farage responded with a mixture of denial and regret. “I never, ever, ever would have said or done anything like that directly to a human being,” he declared. Yet, when asked repeatedly whether he could categorically rule out having engaged in racial abuse, his answers became less definitive. “I would never, ever do it in a hurtful or insulting way,” he said, before adding, “If I had, it was not with intent.” Farage acknowledged that he might have been responsible for some “banter in a playground” that could be interpreted differently “in the modern light of day.”
Farage’s shifting responses have drawn criticism from across the political spectrum. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, speaking on November 26, described Farage’s reaction as “unconvincing to say the least” and urged the Reform UK leader to apologize to anyone he may have hurt. Starmer went further, stating that Farage “clearly remembers some of what happened” and accusing him of showing his “true colours.” The Prime Minister also leveled an additional charge at Reform UK, claiming the party is “riddled with pro-Putin propaganda.”
In a statement released by Reform UK on November 25, Farage attempted to put the matter to rest. “I can tell you categorically that I did not say the things that have been published in The Guardian aged 13, nearly 50 years ago,” he said. Yet the allegations, some of which were first reported over a decade ago by veteran political reporter Michael Crick, have persisted and gained renewed traction as Farage’s political profile has grown.
The Guardian report, published last week, was based on testimonies from over a dozen former pupils. The claims include not only the alleged remarks to Ettedgui but also accusations that Farage sang racist songs, performed the Nazi “Sieg Heil” salute, and, as a prefect, put a child in detention because of his skin color. Farage has dismissed these accounts as politically motivated, noting that his accusers had “different political views to me.” He referenced the heated debates of the late 1970s, saying, “I thought Enoch Powell was right about the common market, which I did, in the referendum. It was a minority position but I held it all the way back then. And I thought he was right to talk about, you know, not having vast community change, and by the way, that was a big source of political debate back in the late 1970s.”
As the allegations swirl, the political context has only heightened the stakes. Reform UK, under Farage’s leadership, has surged to double-digit leads in opinion polls over Starmer’s Labour party since last year’s general election. Farage, who was elected to the UK parliament at his eighth attempt, now finds himself under greater scrutiny than ever before. As politics professor Robert Ford of Manchester University told AFP, “He’s always been a figure who’s free to roam the margins. This is a different ball game, as I think they’re discovering.” Ford suggested that the teenage racism allegations are likely “reinforcing” existing views of Farage rather than changing minds. “People who like Farage tend to be strong nationalists. They tend to be very much on the Ukraine side, and they tend to be very anti-Putin.”
The controversy around Farage is not the only storm Reform UK is weathering. Recently, the party’s former leader in Wales, Nathan Gill, was sentenced to over 10 years in prison after admitting to accepting approximately £40,000 (about $53,000) to make pro-Russian statements in the European Parliament. The case has fueled accusations from political rivals that Reform UK harbors pro-Putin elements. Starmer seized on this, asserting that the party’s troubles with Gill and the racism allegations together reveal its “true colours.”
Farage has pushed back against these characterizations, dismissing the Prime Minister’s claims as “nonsense.” Addressing the Gill case, Farage argued that he could not be expected to investigate events that occurred before Gill joined Reform UK, noting, “Did Ukip have a problem with an MEP who clearly was corrupt? Yes, it did. Did he join Reform very briefly in Wales? He did very briefly. He was leader. I can’t investigate Ukip in the European Parliament in 2018 – how do I do that? Can I read people’s emails? Can I take their mobile phones? How on earth can I investigate that?” Instead, Farage called for a broader investigation into foreign influence, expressing concern about “Chinese influence” and espionage in London, referencing worries about a “giant embassy over some of the most important communication cables and sections in London.”
The debate over Farage’s past and the future of Reform UK has become a flashpoint in British politics, exposing deep divisions over history, accountability, and the boundaries of political discourse. For some, the allegations are a disqualifying stain on Farage’s character and his party’s suitability for leadership. For others, they are either exaggerated or irrelevant, relics of a different era being weaponized for political gain.
As the general election looms and Reform UK’s momentum shows no sign of abating, the scrutiny on Farage is unlikely to fade. Whether these decades-old allegations will shift public opinion or further entrench existing loyalties remains an open—and deeply consequential—question for Britain’s political future.
