Zia Yusuf has warned of an attack on online free speech, claiming Britain is being "plunged into a Chinese-style surveillance state".
Speaking to GB News, the Chair of Reform UK's DOGE Unit tore into the "Orwellian" legislation of the Online Safety Act, following the introduction of new rules.
The Government's latest move to protect children online means that websites operating in the UK with pornographic content must now robustly age check users.
Highlighting two sections of the Act, Yusuf explained that the rules are not in place to "protect children", but to "censor" what Britons post online.
GB News
|Zia Yusuf has branded the Online Safety Act 'Orwellian'
Speaking to GB News host Ben Leo, Yusuf explained: "I want to make sure everyone understands that this Online Safety Act, Orwellianly named, is plunging this country into a Chinese-style surveillance state.
"There are two key things I want to flag inside the Act. Section 44, which allows the Secretary of State to unilaterally force Ofcom to change the rules about what needs to be censored and what doesn't without an Act of Parliament, without a vote. So basically, it's a death knell of democracy in that respect.
"The second one is Section 179, which is even more insidious. What it does is make it illegal to say something that is false, that causes 'non-trivial psychological harm'. And it's not just making that illegal, it is forcing social media companies to proactively censor that speech."
Warning of the impact of the Act on social media censorship, Yusuf stated: "It's going to create an incentive structure for social media companies to over censor, because that's the rational thing to do if you're trying to protect shareholder value.
Getty
|New rules as part of the Online Safety Act were introduced on Friday
"And we've already seen in less than 48 hours since this thing has come into force, we've seen protests against migrant hotels in Leeds being actively censored on X, which thanks to Elon, is supposed to be the last bastion of free speech. And we're seeing tweets which criticise immigration being censored."
Criticising the previous Conservative Government for introducing the legislation, Yusuf told GB News: "We are slipping into a world which would frankly make Xi Jinping blush.
"And I want to remind the viewers, as much as Keir Starmer is an abomination and we despise this Labour Government, it was the Tories who created this whole situation. It was the Tories who voted it through pretty much unanimously.
"Including the likes of Robert Jenrick, including the likes of Suella Braverman, the ones who now present themselves as anti all of this stuff. They voted all of this stuff through."
GB News
|Yusuf told GB News that Britain is being 'plunged into a Chinese-style surveillance state'
Issuing a stark warning for censorship and free speech in Britain, Yusuf urged the Government to "act quickly" before it becomes "normalised".
Yusuf concluded: "The Prime Minister has brought about an 'elite police force', not to protect British people from illegal migrants and the crime they're committing, but to monitor anti-migrant activity.
"I want to emphasise, if we don't do something about this quickly, it is going to be normalised.
"And I'm telling you, these social media companies, even X, with the might of Elon behind him, is going to be no match for the brutality and the power of the British state."