Peter Kyle has been scolded for his "egregious" attack on Nigel Farage over Labour's online safety laws, with the move branded "opportunist" of the party.
Speaking to GB News, Political Commentator Benedict Spence hit out at the Technology Secretary's remarks about Farage, accusing him of being "on the side of predators".
Kyle accused the Reform UK leader of being on the "side of paedophiles and predators like Jimmy Savile" due to his opposing view of the Online Safety Act.
Hitting back at the Labour MP, Farage demanded an apology for his "absolutely disgusting" and "below the belt" remarks.
GB News
|Peter Kyle has been scolded by Benedict Spence for his 'repulsive' attack on Nigel Farage
Discussing the row on GB News, Spence stated: "I think it is an example of political opportunism by Labour, and some might say that there's a cleverness to it, there's also a repulsiveness to it.
"I was left scratching my head, wanting to know what's so difficult about taking away phones from children. Why is it that actually the default is we have to give them all of this technology in the world, and then it's up to somebody else to police what it is that they see? No, be a parent, be a grown up, don't let them have the phone."
Detailing the possible reasoning behind Kyle's attack on Farage, Spence suggested that Labour is acting on the "visceral anger" felt by Britons about sexual assault in the country.
He explained: "They have seen the visceral anger that is emerging in many parts of this country around sexual assaults on children and on women from what people perceive to be grooming gangs. There is also the safety of people in the vicinity of migrant hotels. This is something that is coming to the fore.
Nigel Farage
|Farage branded the remarks against him 'absolutely disgusting' and 'below the belt'
"Labour understands that people feel viscerally about sexual assaults, sexual attacks and sexual vulnerability. They also understand what it is doing to their own polling that they are not being perceived as being tough on this.
"So rather than actually try to address any of this, they're just going to tar their political opponents with the same thing."
Hitting out at Kyle's decision to name Savile in his remarks against the Reform leader, Spence fumed: "I think it's particularly egregious, the example of Jimmy Savile, saying 'Jimmy Savile would be doing this'.
"Jimmy Savile did all of his abuse in broad daylight in person, he was not grooming people on the internet. And it was known to authorities, including, dare I say, a couple of Labour MPs."
GB News
|Spence told GB News that the accusation is 'offensive to Jimmy Savile's victims'
He added: "Why it is that you then take this particular example and then go, 'you have to be careful because Nigel Farage is potentially on the same side as Jimmy Savile'.
"It is incredibly offensive to Jimmy Savile's own victims, who were abused in person, not over the phone."
Reiterating his argument that the responsibility of online safety lies with "parents" and not with Government, Spence concluded: "Labour are going to say you need to be careful about these people because they're going to lessen the safety of your children.
"Once again, take away the phones, take away access to the computers, and you deal with a large part of the problem."