Richard Tice, the deputy leader of Reform UK, has faced fierce criticism for his reaction to allegations of racist behaviour by party leader Nigel Farage during his school days. Tice described the claims, which include accusations of pro-Hitler comments and jokes about gas chambers, as "made-up twaddle".
Allegations from former classmates surface
More than a dozen former pupils of Dulwich College in south London have come forward with accounts of Mr Farage's conduct when he was aged between 13 and 18. The allegations, reported in detail by The Guardian, include claims that the Reform UK leader told a Jewish classmate "Hitler was right" and made hissing sounds to imitate gas chambers.
One of the accusers is award-winning director Peter Ettedgui, who was 13 at the time. He alleges Mr Farage would direct comments like "Gas them" towards him. Other unnamed former pupils described being in the school's Combined Cadet Force (CCF) and claimed Farage taught songs about gassing Jews. Patrick Neylan, 61, and Tim France, 61, corroborated these accounts, with the latter stating Farage would "regularly" perform the Nazi salute.
Tice's controversial defence and the political fallout
In what was described as a "car crash" interview on BBC Radio 4, Richard Tice was questioned by host Emma Barnett. When asked if telling a Jewish person ‘Hitler was right’ constituted direct racial abuse, Tice replied, "Yes I do, and I can’t believe anybody would have said that." He then dismissed the allegations as politically motivated, suggesting the accusers had an "axe to grind" and did not want Nigel Farage to become Prime Minister.
Tice further claimed, "no one has stood up against antisemitism more than Nigel and I," citing their response to protests after the October 7th attacks. This defence was swiftly condemned by political figures across the spectrum.
Cross-party condemnation and calls for apology
Labour peer Lord Katz, the former chair of Jewish Labour, labelled Tice's comments "shameful". He highlighted the contradiction in Tice rubbishing claims of antisemitism while simultaneously claiming he and Farage were leading figures in tackling it.
Anna Turley MP, Chair of the Labour Party, accused Reform of wanting to "drag our politics to a dark place" and stated the party was "not fit for high office". She praised the courage of the alleged victims and demanded an apology from both Farage and Tice, noting that Farage had refused to offer a categorical denial, saying he could not remember everything from school.
The controversy follows interventions from Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who last month called Farage "spineless" on racism, and the current PM, who said Farage should apologise. Reform UK has categorically denied all allegations, characterising them as a smear campaign against their leader.
