Veteran journalist Michael Crick has admitted that he played a role in fuelling allegations about Nigel Farage and the “Hitler Youth” after David Lammy referred to it at the Labour conference today.

Speaking in an interview, Mr Crick said the story originated from a single letter written by one of Mr Farage’s teachers, which claimed the Reform UK leader had sung Hitler Youth songs while on a school cadet camp.

Mr Crick revealed: “That was the only source for that allegation, which I repeated on Channel 4 News many years ago.

"I’ve always acknowledged that Farage has denied it, and I should also say that there’s no other source that says Farage was involved in Hitler Youth songs."

Michael Crick said he has always stated that the allegation has been denied

The journalist went on to say that Labour appears “rattled” by the rise of Reform, but admitted branding the party’s policies as “racist” was not justified.

In a interview earlier today, when questioned about whether he considered Mr Farage to be racist, Mr Lammy stated he would allow the public to form their own conclusions about someone who had allegedly "flirted with Hitler Youth when he was younger."

The Deputy Prime Minister spoke to the BBC again shortly after making the comments and said: "He has denied it. And so I accept that he has denied it.

"And I would like to clarify that position, because in the end, the Prime Minister was keen for us to focus on the policies, not the individual."

Mr Crick told Jacob Rees Mogg on GB News: "I agree with a lot of your analysis. I think Labour is clearly rattled by Reform and Farage, especially after the stats that came out last week showing which MPs would lose their seats.

"That was terrifying, not just for their MPs but for many others in the Labour Party.

"But I think it was a mistake that Starmer mentioned Farage so many times. It’s not credible to say that Nigel Farage doesn’t like this country or doesn’t believe in Britain.

"That will not go down well with Reform supporters, or Labour supporters who are considering voting Reform.

"I also agree that describing Reform’s policies as racist can’t really be justified, and it may even put off Labour people who are thinking of defecting to Reform.

"That said, I think the overall thrust of what Starmer did today was coherent fighting back against Reform and saying: look, Farage is guilty of talking this country down, and he did so in America.

"That is wrong. There is a lot going well with this country, and we should unite and not allow Reform to divide us.

"I think that was a good fightback, and it was the best speech Starmer has made at a Labour conference since 2021."

The Prime Minister declared his party would 'fight Reform UK with everything we have'

The Prime Minister declared his party would "fight Reform UK with everything we have" in the period leading up to the next general election.

The Reform UK leader responded swiftly to Labour's sustained criticism, characterising the attacks as "obsessive" during his own address to the nation.

He accused the Prime Minister of choosing to "descend into the gutter" with his rhetoric, suggesting Labour had abandoned substantive political debate in favour of personal attacks.