"Reform UK pledges to scrap 'dystopian' Online Safety Act"

Reform UK Vows to Scrap Online Safety Act, Calling It 'Dystopian'

At a Westminster press conference primarily focused on crime, Nigel Farage and his key ally Zia Yusuf diverted much of the discussion to the recently enacted Online Safety Act, criticizing its approach to regulating social media.

Farage also intensified his rhetoric on migration, asserting—in language reminiscent of far-right discourse—that arrivals from certain nations had contributed to a rise in reported rapes and sexual assaults in the UK.

Farage and Yusuf pledged that a Reform government would abolish the Online Safety Act immediately, seeking alternative methods to shield children from harmful material, such as suicide-related content. They admitted, however, that they had not yet determined how this would be achieved.

Yusuf, formerly the party’s chair and now overseeing efficiency measures in councils under Reform’s control, called the act "a massive overreach" that risks turning the UK into "a borderline dystopian state."

He argued that Ofcom’s new powers to penalize platforms for harmful content would "compel social media firms to suppress anti-government speech," claiming even Elon Musk’s X would face pressure to restrict free expression.

"History shows that authoritarian regimes emerge through laws that disguise oppression under the guise of safety, hoping no one scrutinizes the details," Yusuf added.

When pressed about child protection measures, such as age verification, Yusuf dismissed them as ineffective, saying children could bypass restrictions using VPNs to appear as overseas users.

Admitting uncertainty about Reform’s alternative plan, Farage nonetheless insisted his party had access to superior technological expertise compared to the current government.

"Can I offer a perfect solution today? No," he said. "But we have connections to top tech minds globally—more than this administration."

Though the event was framed as introducing retired detective Colin Sutton as Reform’s crime adviser, Farage spent considerable time linking migration to crime statistics.

He cited a "clear parallel" between rising rape reports and "reckless immigration policies under successive Labour and Conservative governments," calling for stricter controls on entry.

"We must ensure the right people come to Britain, not the wrong ones," he said, singling out arrivals from Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, and Eritrea as problematic.