Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has called for Prime Minister Andy Burnham to bring in emergency legislation in order to stop the early release of hundreds of prisoners.
Burnham announced last week that he was pausing the scheme, which would have seen about 700 prisoners freed in the first phase in September, following a backlash from survivors and victims.
But the Conservatives say the government’s review will not stop offenders being released.
The scheme was part of a bid to stop unprecedented overcrowding, which Labour says was caused by Conservative governments failing to build new prisons.
A Labour spokesperson said: “It’s this government that is fixing the Tories’ mess.”
On Tuesday, Burnham said: “It is a challenging situation and we shouldn’t actually be in this position as a country, but we have to deal with the reality of where we are.
“But I will do anything I can to minimise risk to the public and that is why I am looking again and why I have put the release plan for September on hold and we’ll make further statements on this in due course.”
