Allegations about Nigel Farage’s school days at Dulwich College have resurfaced periodically for more than a decade. They hinge on how much weight to give a 1981 teacher’s letter and later media reports that described Farage as expressing racist or neo-fascist views as a teenager—claims he has repeatedly denied.
Dulwich College and the 1981 Prefect Letter
In September 2013, The Independent reported that Channel 4 News had obtained a June 4, 1981 letter from teacher Chloe Deakin to the headmaster opposing Farage’s appointment as prefect. The letter relayed staffroom concerns about “publicly professed racist and neo-fascist views” and referenced a claim boys had “marched through a quiet Sussex village” at night “shouting Hitler Youth songs.” The Guardian’s same-day coverage summarised the Channel 4 revelations.
Channel 4’s 2013 Revelations and the Media Pile-On
The Guardian reported the allegations as UKIP’s conference opened. In a video clip that day, Farage called the claims “wildly exaggerated” and denied involvement with extremist groups. The Telegraph quoted him describing himself as a “bolshie teenager” who pushed boundaries but insisted he was never a member of a far-right organisation.
Farage’s Denials and How Accounts Differ
Farage has consistently denied singing “Hitler Youth” songs or affiliation with neo-fascist groups at school. When the claims resurfaced in 2025 political exchanges, The Times noted the origins in the 1981 letter and reiterated Farage’s denials, stressing that the phrasing derives from a teacher’s account rather than a verified disciplinary finding.
Accounts from contemporaries differ. Some former pupils and teachers, quoted in later pieces, recalled racist or extremist talk; others told reporters and biographers that Farage was provocative but not ideologically committed. A Guardian interactive (2024) collates sharply contrasting recollections.
What Later Reporting and Biographies Add
Journalist Michael Crick’s biography, One Party After Another (2022), revisits the Nigel Farage school material. Reviews summarise the staff debate over prefects and the Deakin letter, while noting the mixture of testimony and Farage’s denials. See reviews and commentary in The Guardian and openDemocracy.
In October 2025, a Guardian explainer revisited the episode after new political remarks revived the controversy, again setting out the original letter, subsequent press coverage, and Farage’s rebuttals.
So, What Do We Actually Know?
- Documentary record: a 1981 teacher’s letter describing colleagues’ concerns and relaying an anecdote about “Hitler Youth songs.”
- Media record: Channel 4’s 2013 scoop and follow-on reporting summarised the letter and gathered recollections.
- Denials: Farage has repeatedly denied the Nazi-song claim and any far-right affiliation at school, including on camera in 2013.
There is no public disciplinary record confirming the song allegation beyond what the letter reports. Much rests on recollection versus denial, weighed across sources.
Final Thoughts
Decades-old school controversies are hard to prove definitively. The Dulwich College material carries political charge, but the public record remains contested: a critical teacher’s letter and some corroborating recollections on one side; explicit denials and more qualified memories on the other. Distinguishing between what a letter said, what witnesses recall, and what can be proved is essential when assessing what really happened.