Nigel Farage Denied Schoolboy Racism Allegations, Refers To It As 'Playground Banter'

Decades-old allegations of racist behaviour have resurfaced against UK Reform Leader, Nigel Farage, stemming from his time as a teenager at Dulwich College in south London. The Guardian reported accounts of Farage's alleged racist conduct that came from more than a dozen people who knew him at school — including former classmates and even a teacher. Now, the Reform leader has spoken up in an interview, dismissing the allegations as 'playground banter.'

Farage Denies Schoolboy Racist Behaviour

Speaking to broadcasters on Monday, Farage pointed out that the claim was decades old, 'This is 49 years ago, by the way. Forty-nine years ago. Have I ever tried to take it out on any individual on the basis of where they're from? No.'

'I had just entered my teens. Can I remember everything that happened at school? No, I can't,' he added.

The Reform leader insisted he never engaged in racial abuse, nor joined any extremist organisation. He elaborated, 'No, I have never directly, really tried to go and hurt anybody,' stressing that any remarks could only be interpreted as 'playground banter'.

'Have I said things 50 years ago that you could interpret as being banter in a playground, that you can interpret in the modern light of day in some sort of way? Yes,' Farage said.

Decades-Old Racism Allegations Toward Farage

The Guardian's investigation gathered accounts from former pupils and teachers at Dulwich College. Their recollections paint a picture of a boy who openly expressed racist and extremist views in school corridors, classrooms, and cadet force trips.

• Peter Ettedgui claims Farage mocked the Holocaust (including imitating 'the sound of gas chambers'), used slurs against Black and Asian students, and repeatedly told them to 'go home', describing Farage as 'a profoundly, precociously racist teenager'.
• An anonymous former pupil says Farage pointed at him and said, 'That's the way back', implying he should return to another country, leaving him feeling dehumanised.
• Former CCF cadets allege Farage led chants such as 'Gas 'em all' with violent racial lyrics, performed Nazi salutes, and made statements such as 'Hitler was right'.
• Tim France, another cadet, recalls Farage chanting 'BM, BM, we are British Nazi men', doing 'Sieg Heil' salutes, and openly praising Hitler.
• Andy Field says Farage unfairly put a younger Asian boy in detention, burned the school register, and remarked that there were 'more Patels than Smiths'.
• Mark Haward remembers Farage chanting 'Oswald Ernald Mosley' around school, as if celebrating fascist ideology.
• Professor Dave Edmonds states that Farage used racist slurs, including the 'P-word' and 'W-word', and made provocative comments about war and immigration.
• Nick Gordon Brown remembers how Farage talked about their 'black and brown friends' in a sneering tone, which he believes links directly to Farage's later political rhetoric.
• Teacher Chloe Deakin, meanwhile, formally opposed Farage becoming a prefect, writing that he had 'publicly professed racist and neo-fascist views', and reported that he once marched through a village singing Hitler Youth songs during a cadet camp.
• Reverend Neil Fairlamb, a teacher, also recalls Farage making inflammatory remarks, such as refusing interest in travelling somewhere because it was 'full of the French', and notes that his behaviour appeared intentionally provocative rather than ignorant.

Labour Peer and Liberal Democrat Call Out Farage

Labour peer Lord Mike Katz and Liberal Democrat president-elect Josh Babarinde have strongly criticised Farage for refusing to deny or address the allegations of racism.

Lord Katz accused the Reform leader of failing to take racism seriously, both on the allegations and within his party. He said, 'Just when you thought Nigel Farage couldn't sink any lower, he is trying to say abhorrent racist comments, including vile antisemitic insults, doesn't matter.'

'He seems to think that you can racially abuse people without it being hurtful and insulting. Let's be crystal clear: you can't,' Katz added.

Katz also condemned Farage for failing to discipline Reform MPs who have expressed racist views, 'Farage refuses to discipline the racist views of his MPs, and he won't take action on the toxic culture within his party.'

He said Farage should 'come clean on claims over his past and apologise', warning that failing to do so shows he is 'simply unfit for office'.

Their criticism follows several incidents involving Reform politicians, including the suspension of Laura Anne Jones, the party's only Member of the Senedd, for using a racial slur.

Despite this, Farage appeared alongside her at a rally shortly after his interview, prompting Labour to say he is tacitly condoning racist behaviour.

Liberal Democrat president-elect Josh Babarinde weighed in on the controversy, condemning Farage's handling of allegations of racism.

'The Reform leader's refusal to deny that he's said these racist remarks is unbecoming of someone who wants to be our next prime minister.'

He added, 'The British people deserve a straight answer. It looks like the mask has slipped, and fact-of-the-matter-Farage is turning into no-answers-Nigel.'

Together, their remarks underline ongoing concerns about Farage's failure to create accountability or confront racism within his party — or in his own past.