Reform UK has vowed not to “let women’s safety be hijacked to justify censorship” after Nigel Farage came under two-pronged attack for plans to repeal the Online Safety Act.
Former party chairman Zia Yusuf last month said the Act does “absolutely nothing to protect children” but endangers freedom of speech.
But Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner warned this would set back efforts to tackle so-called revenge porn, saying: “Nigel Farage risks failing a generation of young women with his dangerous and irresponsible plans to scrap online safety laws. Scrapping safeguards and having no viable alternative plan in place to halt the floodgates of abuse that could open is an appalling dereliction of duty.”
Safeguarding minister Jess Phillips said: “Nigel Farage’s Reform have shown they have a total disregard for the abuse, hatred, and vile criminality millions of women face online.”
But Reform councillor Laila Cunningham said: “You don’t protect women by silencing speech. You protect them by securing borders, enforcing the law, and locking up actual criminals, and that is exactly what a Reform government would do.”
Ms Cunningham challenged Ms Phillips to debate her.
She said: “Women are more unsafe than ever before thanks to Labour… Reform will always prioritise prosecuting abuse but will never let women’s safety be hijacked to justify censorship.”
Labour warns that “almost a million young women have experienced intimate image abuse in England and Wales, including threats and sharing of their intimate images”. It adds: “The Act protects women and children and makes the sharing of intimate images without consent a “priority offence”, the most serious class of online crime.”
Ms Rayner said: “It’s time for Farage to tell women and girls across Britain how he would keep them safe online.”
