Nigel Farage\u2019s response to allegations of teenage racism during his time at Dulwich college have ranged from vehement at times and rather more nuanced at others.<\/p>\n
Here is what he has said.<\/p>\n
19 September 2013Michael Crick questions Farage<\/p>\n
After Channel 4 reporter Michael Crick revealed a June 1981 letter written by a teacher about Farage during his time in Dulwich referring to him as \u201cracist\u201d and \u201cfascist\u201d or \u201cneo-fascist\u201d, Crick tracked down Farage<\/a>.<\/p>\n Farage said: \u201cOf course I said some ridiculous things that upset them.\u201d Crick asked him if these were \u201cracist things\u201d. Farage replied: \u201cNot necessarily racist things. It depends how you define it.\u201d<\/p>\n Crick pressed Farage on the letter\u2019s accusation that he had taunted someone in class and was excluded, suggesting the taunts had been on racial grounds. Farage said: \u201cI was excluded from class dozens of times all over the years.\u201d He said he did not accept this was for racist comments.<\/p>\n 14 May 2019Response to the anonymous Independent letter<\/p>\n The Independent published an anonymous letter<\/a> by a former school friend of Farage. The letter writer, who later revealed himself<\/a> as Jean-Pierre Lihou, wrote of vividly recalling Farage\u2019s interest in his initials, NF, and the symbol of the National Front. He said he recalled Farage singing \u201cGas \u2019em all\u201d, shouting \u201cSend \u2019em home\u201d, and talking about Oswald Mosley.<\/p>\n Farage did not respond directly to the claims. He said: \u201cTo say that this is going over old ground is an understatement. The period during which I was at Dulwich was highly politically charged with the rise of Thatcherism to the Brixton riots just down the road.<\/p>\n \u201cThere were many people of that time who were attracted to extreme groups on both sides of the debate.\u201d<\/p>\n He added: \u201cWhoever sent you this must be a little out of touch to say that I supported Oswald Mosley as he believed in a United States of Europe. Some people need to get over Brexit.\u201d<\/p>\n November 2021Crick\u2019s biography of Farage<\/p>\n Crick returned to the subject of Farage with a biography, One Party After Another (disclosure: Henry Dyer acted as a researcher for the book). Crick had new details on the subject of Farage\u2019s school days, with contemporaries making allegations of racist and antisemitic language and abuse. Others said they had never heard him saying anything racist or insulting.<\/p>\n Farage told Crick in an email: \u201cLet\u2019s get one thing straight. I joined the Conservative party in 1978, and thought all of the far right parties\/movements to be ludicrous\/barmy\/dangerous. There were some hard left class-of-1968 masters [who] joined the College and several of us thoroughly enjoyed winding them up.<\/p>\n \u201cTerms of abuse thrown around between fifteen-year-old boys were limitless; there were no boundaries. I think red-haired boys fared especially badly.\u201d<\/p>\n 16 October 2025The first letter from a barrister for Reform UK<\/p>\n Adam Richardson, barrister for Reform UK, responded when the Guardian approached Farage to comment on the fresh claims that contemporaries had made of racist and antisemitic language and abuse.<\/p>\n The denial was emphatic. Richardson described the allegations as \u201cwholly untrue\u201d.<\/p>\n Richardson said: \u201cThe suggestion that Mr Farage ever engaged in, condoned, or led racist or antisemitic behaviour is categorically denied.\u201d<\/p>\n 27 October 2025The second letter<\/p>\n Richardson responded again after the Guardian asked Farage to comment on the testimonies and concerns of contemporaries. Richardson said Farage \u201cdoes not intend to respond to the frankly farcical recollections from 40 years ago since Mr Farage has become a political figure as they are simply not credible and conjecture.\u201d<\/p>\n He added: \u201cHowever, should the Guardian publish any allegation suggesting that Mr Farage engaged in, condoned, or led racist or antisemitic behaviour, or that such claims bear upon his present character, you can expect proceedings to be issued forthwith. Those proceedings will seek an injunction, a public retraction, and the maximum award of damages permissible, including aggravated damages for malicious publication.\u201d<\/p>\n 10 November 2025The third letter<\/p>\n The Guardian noted the change in Farage\u2019s response compared with his 2013 and 2019 comments, and asked Richardson why Farage now claimed allegations relating to racism and antisemitism were \u201cwholly untrue\u201d.<\/p>\n Richardson reiterated: \u201cThe allegations that Mr Farage engaged in racist or antisemitic behaviour are wholly untrue, defamatory, and malicious.\u201d<\/p>\n 11 November 2025\u2018These allegations are entirely without foundation\u2019<\/p>\n Pressed to comment, a spokesperson for Reform UK said: \u201cThese allegations are entirely without foundation. The Guardian has produced no contemporaneous record or corroborating evidence to support these disputed recollections from nearly 50 years ago.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is no coincidence that this newspaper seeks to discredit Reform UK \u2013 a party that has led in over 150 consecutive opinion polls and whose leader bookmakers now have as the favourite to be the next prime minister.<\/p>\n \u201cWe fully expect these cynical attempts to smear Reform and mislead the public to intensify further as we move closer to the next election.\u201d<\/p>\n 19 November 2025\u2018One person\u2019s word against another\u2019<\/p>\n