Why the scandal came back to life in April 2026
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Fresh developments poured fuel on the fire:
Three new witnesses — all former Dulwich pupils — reportedly backed claims of antisemitic songs and “Hitler Youth chants” at a school trip. One of them, a BAFTA-winning director, gave an interview to The Guardian. Farage dismissed it as a “political witch-hunt”.
Reform’s win in the Runcorn by-election: in May 2025, Reform won by just six votes, with Sarah Pochin taking 38.7 per cent. A legal challenge brought by the last-placed candidate is still ongoing in the High Court, and some believe the BBC row helped drive turnout.
Starmer stepped in: at PMQs in November 2025, the Prime Minister said Farage “must explain racist comments from his schooldays”. In 2026, the row echoed on as Reform took control of councils including Kent and Lancashire.
The BBC stayed quiet, but Farage turned it to his advantage: “They attack us, we win,” became the message. With Reform gaining more than 600 seats in the local elections, the controversy only added to the momentum.
The background to the school allegations
By 2025, 28 witnesses had reportedly come forward with claims including chants such as “Gas them all”, racist name-calling, and Nazi-style gestures. A teacher was also said to have recorded concerns in a diary.
Farage, who was 17 at the time, has denied all of it and blamed what he calls a “woke campaign”. He has pointed to the fact that he went on to work in the City from 1982 onwards, later entering politics after the Big Bang era.
Holocaust survivors and campaigners have called on him to apologise publicly.
Reaction and fallout
Farage supporters say: “The BBC is just left-wing propaganda. Blackface on their own airwaves was acceptable, but now schoolboy jokes are beyond the pale?”
Critics say: “The leader of a political party cannot simply brush off allegations of antisemitism.”
Politically, Reform continues to rise in the polls, hovering around 15 to 20 per cent, especially among Generation X voters. The row has become another front in the broader “elite versus ordinary people” narrative that Farage thrives on.
Bottom line: Farage 1, BBC 0
‘Hitler-gate’ has not damaged Reform so much as energised it. New witnesses and electoral momentum have kept the story alive. Farage’s position remains defiant: “I will not apologise unless the BBC apologises for the 1970s.” Attention is now turning to the High Court case over Runcorn, where judges will decide whether those six votes stand. Either way, the row is keeping the temperature high ahead of the next by-elections.
