Southport killer Axel Rudakubana admitted carrying a knife more than 10 times

Opposition parties have put pressure on the government over what information was released to the public about offences Rudakubana was being investigated over prior to his guilty pleas.

On Tuesday, shadow home secretary Chris Philp said “we need to know who in government knew what and when”.

But Cooper said there was a risk Rudakubana could have “walked away a free man” if the government had released information that prejudiced his ability to have a fair trial under UK law.

However, the home secretary acknowledged the spread of misinformation on social media “puts those long established rules under strain” and said contempt of court laws were being reviewed by the Law Commission.

Misinformation about the Rudakubana’s identity spread in the aftermath of the Southport attack, fuelling violent disorder.

Posts falsely claiming Rudakubana – who was born in Cardiff – was an asylum seeker who had arrived in the UK on a small boat were shared widely online.

More than 1,000 people have been arrested over the subsequent riots and hundreds have been charged and jailed.