Angela Rayner accuses Nigel Farage of 'failing young women' as bitter Online Safety Act row rumbles on

Taking direct aim at Mr Farage, the Deputy Prime Minister warned that removing the recently implemented legislation would enable “a vile, misogynistic culture on social media”.

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Ms Rayner's comments come as part of a wider strategy, hoping to show Mr Farage has misread the public mood on the importance of regulating the internet.

However, Labour's initial strategy appeared to hit the buffers after Technology Secretary Peter Kyle decided to claim Mr Farage was "on the side" of the prolific paedophile Jimmy Savile.

Ms Rayner said: “Intimate image abuse is a devastating crime and contributes to a vile misogynistic culture on social media that we know translates into physical spaces too.

“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.

“It’s time for Farage to tell women and girls across Britain how he would keep them safe online.”

However, ex-Tory Councillor Laila Cunningham, who has been dubbed as one of "Farage's Fillies", blasted Ms Rayner for "claim[ing] to protect women while placing unvetted illegal migrant men" in communities.

Reform UK also fired back against Ms Rayner's broader attack, insisting it would "always prioritise prosecuting abuse but will never let women's safety be hijacked to justify censorship."

The Online Safety Act, which requires websites to block access to adult content unless proof is provided that the user is 18, has received praise and criticisms from across the political spectrum.

More than 500,000 Britons have also signed a petition calling on the Government repeal the Online Safety Act, citing fears about a clampdown on "talking about trains, football, video games and even hamsters".

Shortly after it came into effect, Mr Farage said: “It begins to look as though state suppression of genuine free speech may be upon us already.”

There has been evidence to suggest that content which has been deemed to fall foul of the legislation includes coverage of Israel's war in Gaza, discussions about migration and a parliamentary debate on Pakistani rape gangs.

However, the debate on the Online Safety Act erupted into a major row after Labour MPs deployed the Savile jibe against Mr Farage.

Mr Farage described the Technology Secretary's slur as "absolutely disgusting" before demanding an apology from Mr Kyle.

The Reform UK leader also swiped at Sir Keir Starmer after the ex-Crown Prosecution Service chief was forced to issue an apology on behalf of the organisation over its failure to prosecute Savile before the TV star's death in 2011.

Mr Farage said: "People in glass houses – perhaps you should remember that his own leader, Keir Starmer, had to apologise for not prosecuting Jimmy Savile."

Labour was also accused of using Savile's name as "bait", with the lawyer representing his victims warning Mr Kyle was looking to "score points over political opponents".

However, ex-Love Island contestant Georgia Harrison, who is herself a women's rights campaigner after being the victim of intimate abuse from former partner Stephen Bear, said Mr Farage's proposal to scrap the legislation would be "the most ridiculous, damaging thing that society could ever imagine".

She added that social media is "massively influencing the issues of violence against women and girls, the rise of misogyny".

Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips, who is now under pressure to debate Ms Cunningham, also doubled-down in her attack against Mr Farage.

The Birmingham Yardley MP warned: "Farage is happy for online spaces to remain a wild west and has put forward no plan to replace key safeguards for women and girls.

"Reform have no idea and simply don't care about the grave damage their decisions could have."