A Cabinet Minister has doubled down on her Labour colleague’s claim that Nigel Farage is on the side of "people like Jimmy Savile".
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander on Wednesday said the Reform UK leader is "happy for there to be a free for all on the internet” and that repealing new internet safety laws would mean crimes such as cyber flashing could go unpunished.
She defended comments made by Technology Secretary Peter Kyle on Tuesday, when he accused Mr Farage of being on the side of "extreme pornographers" over Reform's pledge to scrap the Online Safety Act.
Reform has said it would repeal the legislation aimed at protecting children from harmful internet content, including pornography, arguing that the measures make the UK “a borderline dystopian state”.
Critics have also argued that some of the controls, such as the need for age verification on certain sites, are very easy for youngsters to get around.
Asked if she agrees with Mr Kyle's statement, Ms Alexander told LBC: “If social media had been around in the day that Jimmy Savile was committing those horrific crimes against children and young people it is inconceivable that he wouldn't have been on his phone, on his laptop, trying to groom youngsters online.”
“Nigel Farage is the leader of the Reform Party, and it is his stated position and his party’s stated position to repeal the Online Safety Act in its entirety.
“So, a logical conclusion of what he is saying at the moment is that he is happy for this type of content to be online and he wants to get rid of all of those offences that have been created in the Online Safety Act.”
She added that “there have been individuals that have been convicted of cyber flashing in recent months as a result of that Online Safety Act”.
Mr Farage has demanded an apology from Mr Kyle, describing the remarks as "so absolutely disgusting that it's almost beyond belief".
Speaking to Sky News on Tuesday, the minister had said: "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."
Following this, Clacton MP Mr Farage urged people to sign a petition calling for the legislation to be repealed.
Shadow foreign secretary Dame Priti Patel said making statements about overturning the Bill are "very lazy" and "not responsible".
Under rules that came into effect on July 25, online platforms such as social media sites and search engines must take steps to prevent children accessing harmful content such as pornography or material that encourages suicide.
Sir Keir Starmer jumped to defend the legislation from its critics when he met Donald Trump on Monday, telling reporters: "We're not censoring anyone.
"We've got some measures which are there to protect children, in particular, from sites like suicide sites."
The Prime Minister added: "I personally feel very strongly that we should protect our young teenagers, and that's what it usually is, from things like suicide sites. I don't see that as a free speech issue, I see that as child protection."
