Reform UK's deputy leader says racism claims about Nigel Farage from fellow pupils are made-up twaddle' UK politics live

"Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, has given different responses, at different times, to the accounts of him being racist and antisemitic when he was a teenager given by some of his contempories at Dulwich College in south London. They have ranged from saying he may have engaged in banter using language that, 50 years later, may be regarded as offensive, to saying the claims were entirely without foundation."

"Tice was being interviewed on the Today programme by Emma Barnett about the decision to delay some mayoral elections in England. Tice described the decision more than once as dictatorial and, after a decent discussion about the elections, Barnett (who is Jewish) used the reference to dictators as a cue to ask about Nigel Farage and Hitler. She summed up some of the stories about Farage highighted in the recent Guardian investigation, including Farage telling a Jewish pupil Hitler was right, and asked if language like this would amount to racist abuse. Tice said it would be. But he went on: I can't believe anybody would have said that. Barnett asked: Including your leader? And Tice went on: Yes. This is all made-up twaddle by people who don't want Nigel to be prime minister of the country. It's funny how they didn't remember this three years ago, six years ago, 10 years ago."

"Barnett pointed out that Peter Ettedgui, the former pupil who remembers Farage telling him Hitler was right, did remember this years ago. He spoke about it to people like Michael Crick, who first reported on some of these allegations more than a decade ago, she said. Barnett said that people who do suffer racist abuse don't forget it because it gets etched on your memory. But Tice doubled down. He said: This is this is this is made-up nonsense by"

Nigel Farage has given differing responses to claims by former Dulwich College contemporaries that he was racist and antisemitic as a teenager. Responses ranged from admitting possible offensive banter to denying the allegations entirely. Richard Tice, Reform UK's deputy leader, accused at least one critic of lying and described recollections as made-up twaddle motivated by political bias during an interview on the Today programme. Emma Barnett cited allegations including an account that Farage told a Jewish pupil Hitler was right, and said such language would amount to racist abuse. Tice insisted the allegations were fabricated while Barnett noted victims rarely forget abuse.

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