Nigel Farage row explodes on GB News as Reform MP rages 'I ask the questions!'

Reform UK's Lee Anderson and Benjamin Butterworth butted heads over the new Online Safety Act, after Peter Kyle launched a scathing attack on Nigel Farage. On Sky News, Mr Kyle said the Reform UK leader's opposition to the Online Safety Act means he is "on the side of turning the clock back to when strange adults can get in touch via messaging apps with children." He claimed: "If people like Jimmy Saville were alive today, he would be perpetrating his crimes online. And Nigel Farage is saying that he's on their side, not the side of the children."

When Anderson asked Butterworth whether Kyle should apologise for the remarks on his show, Lee Anderson's Real World, the broadcaster responded: "Maybe he should apologise when people stop saying that Labour were somehow in bed with grooming gangs." Hitting back, Anderson declared: "Quick deflection there from the leftie in the corner, please answer the question." Butterworth said it's clear Nigel isn't siding with paedophiles or predators - but warned that without the tough boundaries set by the Online Safety Bill, they're the ones who stand to gain.

"The question is, who would benefit from not having these boundaries in online safety? That would be predators and people who want to exploit kids", Butterworth said. "If you're asking who it would benefit, it would clearly be some dubious people."

The Reform MP insisted "everyone wants to see safety for children online" - but warned that today's tech-savvy kids often find ways around restrictions, making the legislation unlikely to succeed.

"They can find ways of bypassing this straight away", he observed. "Mum and dad do not know what little Johnny is looking at upstairs. They are very skilful and clever. Once one finds a loophole or a way around, all their mates in their class do the exact same thing."

He went on to brand it a "complete waste of time". After Butterworth noted that 12-year-olds are "seeing things that can mess up their minds" on the internet, Anderson voiced his fears of VPNs (virtual private networks), believing they could undermine the entire purpose of the bill and might even push more people toward the Dark Web, fuelling a rise in dangerous online activity.

"I don't think we can ever police or monitor the internet successfully. There's always going to be a way for young people to circumnavigate the internet", Anderson admitted.

Butterworth claimed Anderson's stance on the bill means he is giving up the fight to ensure the safety of young people online, leading him to snap back: "Show me the proof, how is that true?"

He continued: "I think we should do our level best to protect young people online but we are never going to win this war unless there are proper consequences."

"You can't just give up on something that is such a threat to the social fabric", Butterworth said. "What would you do, if not this?"

Anderson snapped back once again, declaring: "I ask the questions on this show, not you."