LONDON – Reform UK leader Nigel Farage on Wednesday, 26 November 2025, forcefully denied allegations of racism from his school days, dismissing them as politically motivated attacks. His denial comes despite more than 20 of his former classmates and a teacher at the prestigious Dulwich College coming forward with detailed, consistent accounts of alleged racist and antisemitic abuse spanning six years in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

At a press conference, Mr. Farage claimed that only one person had directly accused him of abuse and that the allegations were concocted due to dislike of his politics. “One person says they were hurt, and if they feel they were hurt, then I’m genuinely sorry,” he stated. “But I never, ever, ever would have said or done anything like that directly to a human being. Absolutely not.”

However, this claim is directly contradicted by numerous on-the-record testimonies. The allegations, detailed in an investigation by The Guardian newspaper, include multiple firsthand accounts of targeted abuse. Farage’s defence has shifted; on Monday, 24 November, he acknowledged he may have said things that could be interpreted as “banter in a playground” nearly 50 years ago but denied any “intent” to cause hurt.

Key Allegations and Denials

The most detailed accusations come from Peter Ettedgui, now a BAFTA and Emmy-winning film director, who was a Jewish classmate of Farage. Mr. Ettedgui alleges that when they were 13 and 14 years old, Farage would repeatedly tell him, “Hitler was right” and “gas them,” sometimes adding a hissing sound to simulate gas. “It was pretty vicious, it was pretty nasty, it was absolutely directed in a very personal way at me,” Ettedgui told the BBC, calling Farage’s denials “fundamentally dishonest.”

Farage’s assertion that Ettedgui is the sole accuser is factually incorrect. At least seven other contemporaries, including a former teacher, have stated they witnessed Farage abusing Ettedgui. Former pupil Stefan Benarroch recalled that Farage and his “minions” would taunt Jewish students as they left their school assembly. Another classmate, Cyrus Oshidar, claims Farage repeatedly called him a “Paki.” Responding to Farage’s claim of no intent to harm, Oshidar told The Guardian it was “rubbish,” asking, “Being called a Paki isn’t hurtful?”

Concerns were reportedly raised by staff at the time. A 1981 letter from an English teacher, Chloe Deakin, opposed Farage’s appointment as a school prefect, citing his “publicly professed racist and neo-fascist views” and reports of him shouting Hitler Youth songs on a cadet camp trip. Farage was ultimately made a prefect.

Implications for Kenya and East Africa

While the allegations are historical and UK-based, the political trajectory of Nigel Farage and Reform UK carries significant weight for Kenya. The United Kingdom is a key strategic partner, with bilateral trade in goods and services exceeding Sh340 billion in the year to September 2025, according to the UK Department for Business and Trade. A renewed UK-Kenya Strategic Partnership aims to deepen this cooperation.

The character and ideology of British political leaders can directly influence policies affecting thousands of Kenyans. Reform UK’s official platform advocates for a freeze on non-essential immigration, restricting international students' ability to remain in the UK after study, and leaving the European Convention on Human Rights to expedite deportations. The party also proposes a 50% cut to the UK's foreign aid budget, which could impact development programmes and green energy investments in Kenya.

These policies, if enacted, would represent a significant shift in the UK's relationship with Commonwealth nations. The allegations against Farage raise fundamental questions about the worldview of a politician whose party's anti-immigration stance is central to its identity and whose influence on British policy is growing. The controversy highlights the global importance of scrutinising the foundational beliefs of leaders whose decisions can reshape international diplomacy, trade, and migration frameworks that are vital to East Africa's economic stability and growth.