UK (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Reform deputy leader Richard Tice dismissed claims that party leader Nigel Farage was antisemitic at school, after Tory leader Kemi Badenoch demanded apology.
As reported by GB News, Richard Tice has rejected claims that Reform UK leader Nigel Farage acted antisemitically at school, responding to Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch’s call for an apology.
Mr Farage has already denied historic racism, “categorically,” insisting his record in tackling extremism exceeds that of any other leader.
This follows director Peter Ettedgui’s claim that, during his teenage years, Mr Farage allegedly said “Hitler was right” and mimicked the sound of gas chambers.
What did Richard Tice say about historic antisemitism claims against Nigel Farage?
During an interview, Richard Tice was asked,
“Isn’t it completely unacceptable that Nigel Farage allegedly made antisemitic jokes to Jewish students about gassing Jews?”
He avoided directly answering, saying,
“There is no one who has stood up for the Jewish community more than Reform UK. We were the first people to call for these hideous pro-Palestine marches to be banned.”
Pressed on why Mr Farage had not apologised to the BAFTA-winning director, the Reform deputy leader said,
“These allegations are 49 years old. Why weren’t they made five years ago or ten years ago? I’ll tell you why. Because they’re made up. They’re absolutely made-up.”
Mr Tice stated,
The reality is that these allegations are made up by people with a serious political bias who don’t want Nigel to be Prime Minister. Can you remember what you said 49 years ago?”
He said,
“I can remember most things. I don’t think I ever went around joking about gassing the Jews,” Camilla flatly retorted. I think this is nonsense. think this is all nonsense.I think this is just made up by people who’ve got a serious political axe to grind.”
The Boston and Skegness MP backed his leader, insisting he “categorically did not say what The Guardian reported.”
Mr Tice added,
“Isn’t it interesting: I am probably the most scrutinised figure in British politics, having been in public life for 32 years.”
He continued,
“Several books and thousands of stories have been written about me, but it is only now that my party is leading in the polls that these allegations come out. I will leave the public to draw their own conclusions about why that might be…We know that the Guardian wants to smear anybody who talks about the immigration issue. But the truth is that I have done more in my career to defeat extremism and far-right politics than anybody else in the UK, from my time fighting the BNP right up to today.”
What did Kemi Badenoch say about Nigel Farage’s schoolboy racism?
Kemi Badenoch called on the Reform UK leader to apologise over alleged school-era racism claims.
When questioned whether she thinks Mr Farage is racist, she said,
“These are things that happened long before I was born. He’s got questions to answer.”
Ms Badenoch added,
“I think the question is, has he changed or not? And I think that is a legitimate question people will ask about your past. People ask about all sorts of stuff that happened long before I was an MP.”
She continued,
“He needs to explain himself. It’s not my job to defend him. He’s a big boy. He can go out and defend himself. I think that the gentleman who said that Nigel Farage tormented him throughout the time that he was in school and that really impacted his life, he should probably apologise for that, at the very least.”
What did Sir Keir Starmer say about Nigel Farage’s alleged youth racism?
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said Nigel Farage’s response to historic racism allegations was “unconvincing” and urged him to apologise to those affected.
He argued Mr Farage “clearly remembers some of what happened” and that he is revealing his “true colours.”
The prime minister said,
“The more we see of Reform, the more we see their true colours, in this case making people £170 worse off. But their true colours also in relation to the Member for Clacton (Mr Farage). His explanation in recent days, in relation to the stories about what he may have said in the past, is unconvincing to say the least.”
Mr Starmer stated,
“He says he never engaged with racism ‘with intent’. ‘With intent’, what does that mean? Didn’t engage with racism ‘with intent’. I have no doubt that if a young Jewish student was hissed at to mimic the sound of a gas chamber, they would find it upsetting.”
The Labour leader added,
“He may want to forget that. They won’t. He clearly remembers some of what happened. He should seek those people out and go and apologise to them.”
Earlier this month, Mr Starmer said that decades-old racism is re-emerging in British politics, warning that hard-right divisions are threatening national unity.
The Prime Minister accused Reform UK of reviving racist and divisive politics long thought to be dealt with.
How many antisemitism cases were reported in the UK in 2025?
1,521 antisemitic incidents were reported in the UK in the first half of 2025, which is the second-highest total ever recorded for the first six months of any year by the Community Security Trust. This marks a 25% drop from the record 2,019 incidents in 2024, but figures remain historically high amid Middle East tensions.
76 violent antisemitic assaults were recorded, including several with weapons, with Greater London having the highest concentration of activity, followed by Greater Manchester and other regions.
