Plans for new internet safety laws in the UK have been shelved until a new Prime Minister has been selected.
The Online Safety Bill will not be debated in the Houses of Parliament until a successor to the outgoing Conservative Party leader, Boris Johnson has been found.
A source close to the government confirmed the plans to BBC News and said the election - which is due to conclude in September - was making it necessary to postpone the legislation, which seeks to clamp down on explicit material, such as child abuse and hate crime content, and give more responsibility to tech companies to monitor the problem.
Alex Davies-Jones, the shadow culture minister and Labour MP called the pause "an absolutely devastating blow and another example of the Tories prioritising their own ideals over people's safety online".
The bill - which is in the report stage where lawmakers can make amendments - was expected to go through the democratically elected Commons chamber before going to the unelected Lords.
Campaign groups, such as the Index on Censorship, have condemned the bill and believe it makes abuse victims “less safe”.
Their CEO, Ruth Smeeth previously said: "It would give tech executives like Nick Clegg and Mark Zuckerberg massive amounts of control over what we all can say online, would make the UK the first democracy in the world to break encrypted messaging apps, and it would make people who have experienced abuse online less safe by forcing platforms to delete vital evidence."
However, children’s charity, the NSPCC called t a “crucial piece of legislation”.
Andy Burrows, a representative from the group remarked that tech firms - such as Meta and Google- "have allowed harm to fester rather than get their house in order".
He added: "Online regulation is therefore vital to force their hand and delivering this legislation should be a cornerstone of any government's duty to keep the most vulnerable in our society safe."
Kemi Badenoch - who is vying to become the UK’s leader along with Rishi Sunak, Penny Mordaunt, Tom Tugendhat, Liz Truss and Suella Braverman - tweeted that the "in no fit state to become law,” before claiming "If I'm elected prime minister I will ensure the bill doesn't overreach. We should not be legislating for hurt feelings."
Nadine Dorries, the Culture Secretary quote tweeted her assertion, writing: "Which part of the bill legislates for hurt feelings, Kemi?"
