UK (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Peter Kyle accused Reform UK leader Nigel Farage of supporting “extreme pornographers” after his party pledged to repeal the Online Safety Act if elected.
As reported by The Guardian, Technology Secretary Peter Kyle has claimed Nigel Farage sides with pornographers due to his party’s plan to scrap the Online Safety Act.
What did Peter Kyle say about Nigel Farage and online predators?
Peter Kyle claimed Nigel Farage was aligning himself with extreme pornographers and people like Jimmy Savile.
He 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.”
Mr Kyle stated,
“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.”
When asked again to clear his remarks, he 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.”
The Cabinet minister had accused him of
“wanting to return to a time when strangers could contact children through messaging apps.”
Nigel Farage and Zia Yusuf’s stance on Kyle’s accusations
Nigel Farage called the remarks “disgusting” and urged Peter Kyle to apologise.
He posted on X,
“Peter Kyle’s comments on Sky News are disgusting. He should do the right thing and apologise.”
Zia Yusuf, former chairman of Reform, called the remarks “one of the most outrageous and disgusting things a politician has said in the political arena.”
He said the remarks were “deeply offensive and inappropriate” in the context of child protection.
Mr Yusuf added,
“Talking about Jimmy Savile in that way does nothing other than denigrate the victims of Jimmy Savile.”
He said, Mr Kyle’s remarks are
“one of the most outrageous and disgusting things a politician has said in the political arena that I can remember. And that’s quite a high bar, frankly.”
What did Reform UK say about repealing online safety laws?
On 28 July, Reform UK announced its intention to repeal the legislation.
The party argued that scanning media aimed at tackling harmful or false content risked turning the UK into a “borderline dystopian state.”
At a press conference, Nigel Farage and Zia Yusuf said that a Reform-led government would repeal the Online Safety Act. They added that the party would introduce new ways to protect children from harmful content, such as material related to suicide and self-harm.
Mr Yusuf criticised parts of the law made to protect children from violent content. He said age checks don’t work because people can use VPNs to get around them.
Nigel Farage’s views on protecting children like Molly Russell
Nigel Farage was asked how Reform would protect children, including Molly Russell, 14, who died after viewing harmful online content.
He said,
“I think Zia made it clear, and I hope that I’ve repeated it as clearly since. Of course want something to be done to protect children and young children, yes. But when it comes to legislation, the road to hell can be paved with good intentions.”
Mr Farage added,
“And if the result of an attempt by the last government to stop cases like Molly Russell from happening finishes up with genuine open debate and free speech able to be erased at the stroke of a pen from one minister without any checks from Ofcom or from anybody else, then we find ourselves in a worse place.”
What did Nigel Farage say about migrants and rising sexual violence?
Nigel Farage said his campaign would focus on drawing attention to what he described as a “direct link” between illegal migration and the rise in sexual violence against women and girls in Britain.
He said,
“I don’t think any of the young men who cross the English Channel should be free to walk our streets. I think not just the risk of getting involved in the illegal economy [but also] the risk to girls, elderly women, the terrorism risk.”
Mr Farage added,
“I don’t believe that anybody who crosses by a small boat should be able to be put in a four-star hotel, put into a house of multiple occupancy and free to roam the streets. I go further than that. I don’t know that anybody who crosses by that route should ever be eligible to get refugee status.”
UK Online Safety Act
- Protect kids: Block harmful content with age checks.
- Remove illegal Content: Delete things like CSAM, fraud, terror.
- Ofcom power: Big fines or block rule-breakers.
- User tools: Filter hate and limit anonymous abuse.