Nigel Farage said he had thought Enoch Powell was “right to talk about not having vast community change” as he defended himself amid allegations of racism in his youth.

The Reform UK leader suggested former pupils complaining about his behaviour while attending a top public school had “different political views to me” but that he was “sorry” if someone had been “hurt”.

He insisted he “never, ever, ever would have said or done anything like that directly to a human being” as he faced questions about the accusations relating to his time at Dulwich College.

In a report published last week by The Guardian, more than a dozen school contemporaries of Mr Farage, 61, recounted alleged incidents of deeply offensive behaviour during his teenage years.

Asked if he would like to apologise to

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