The UK technology secretary, Peter Kyle, has accused Nigel Farage of being on the side of “extreme pornographers” over his party’s pledge to scrap the Online Safety Act.
Reform UK said on Monday it would repeal the legislation, arguing that measures intended to push social media companies to limit false and potentially harmful content would make the UK “a borderline dystopian state”.
Farage and his close aide Zia Yusuf told a press conference that a Reform government would repeal the legislation immediately and seek other ways to replicate its efforts to protect children from harmful content, for example about suicide. They said they did not yet know how this would be done.
Responding on Sky News, Kyle said Farage was on the side of “extreme pornographers” and of people such as the notorious child sex offender Jimmy Savile. Farage called the comments disgusting and demanded an apology.
Kyle said: “I see that Nigel Farage is already saying that he’s going to overturn these laws. So you know, we have people out there who are extreme pornographers, peddling hate, peddling violence. Nigel Farage is on their side.
“Make no mistake about it, if people like Jimmy Savile were alive today, he’d be perpetrating his crimes online. And Nigel Farage is saying that he’s on their side.”
Asked to clarify his comments, Kyle said: “Nigel Farage is on the side of turning the clock back to the time when strange adults, strangers, can get in touch via messaging apps with children.”
Farage posted on X: “Peter Kyle’s comments on Sky News are disgusting. He should do the right thing and apologise.”
The minister doubled down, replying on the social media platform: “If you want to overturn the Online Safety Act you are on the side of predators. It is as simple as that.”
Yusuf, Reform’s former chair, when asked about parts of the act intended to shield children from harmful content, such as a requirement on age verification, said this was pointless because people could simply use VPN proxy servers to access sites as if they were outside the UK.
Asked how Reform would protect children, Farage said he did not know but claimed his party had expertise not available to the government.