Nigel Farage has demanded an apology from a cabinet minister who claimed his opposition to online safety laws meant he was “on the side” of predators including the late Jimmy Savile.

The Reform UK leader said the comments by Peter Kyle, the science and technology secretary, were “disgusting” and urged him to retract his statement.

In a broadcast from Reform UK’s London headquarters, Mr Farage played back Peter Kyle’s comments, made to Sky News, and said they were “so below the belt”.

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“Well this is so absolutely disgusting that it’s almost beyond belief,” he said. “Just how low can the Labour government sink in its desperation.

“Yes, of course they’re in trouble. They’re well behind us in the opinion polls. But frankly, to say that I would do anything that would in any way aid and abet people like Jimmy Savile, it’s so below the belt.”

He was joined in his condemnation by former Reform chair Zia Yusuf.

“It’s one of the most outrageous and disgusting things a politician has said in the political arena that I can remember,” he told Wilfred Frost on Sky News.

“What it also shows is Labour have no idea how the internet actually works, which is why they aren’t willing to admit this act, despite its name, is actually going to make children less safe.

“It also shows how deeply unserious they are about child safety. Labelling that allegation, talking about Jimmy Savile in that way, does nothing other than denigrate the victims of Jimmy Savile.”

Mr Kyle claimed to Wilfred Frost on Sky News Breakfast that Mr Farage’s opposition to the Online Safety Act, which aims to restrict children’s access to harmful content online, meant he was “on the side” of “extreme pornographers”.

He accused Mr Farage of wanting to “turn the clock right back” after the Reform leader vowed to repeal the act over free speech concerns.

“I see that Nigel Farage is already saying that he’s going to overturn these laws,” he said.

“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, Mr 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.”

Shortly after Mr Farage’s response, Mr Kyle doubled down on his comments, posting on X: “If you want to overturn the Online Safety Act you are on the side of predators. It is as simple as that.”

The Labour Party also tweeted:” Nigel Farage wants to scrap vital protections for young people online. Reform offers anger but no answers.”

The Online Safety Act, which was passed in 2023, requires online platforms such as social media sites and search engines to take steps to prevent children accessing harmful content such as pornography or material that encourages suicide.

The rules of the act, which came into effect on 25 July, include introducing age verification for websites and ensuring algorithms do not work to harm children by exposing them to such content when they are online.

Failure to comply with the new rules could incur fines of up to £18m or 10% of a firm’s global turnover, whichever is greater.

At a press conference on Monday, Mr Farage and Mr Yusuf vowed to scrap the “dystopian” act, arguing it did “absolutely nothing to protect children” but worked to “suppress freedom of speech” and “force social media companies to censor anti-government speech”.

Describing the legislation as “the greatest assault on freedom of speech in our lifetimes”, Mr Yusuf vowed to repeal the act “as one of the first things a Reform government does”.

He also argued that children are circumventing age checks on adult websites using VPNs (Virtual Private Networks) to make it appear as if they are located outside the UK.

He also said such restrictions would push children to the dark web.

“Sending all of these kids onto VPNs is a far worse situation, and sends them much closer to the dark web, where the real dangers lie,” he said.

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Asked what he would do to protect children online, Mr Farage acknowledged he did not have “a perfect answer” but said his party had “more access to some of the best tech brains, not just in the country but in the world” and would “make a much better job of it”.

The Online Safety Act was introduced in part to make the internet safer for children following the death of Molly Russell, whose inquest found that she died from “an act of self-harm while suffering from depression and the negative effects of online content”.

Andy Burrows, chief executive of the Molly Rose Foundation, said scrapping the act “would be a retrograde move that would not only put children at greater risk but is out of step with the mood of the public”.

Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK