Updated 9.45pm

Opposition Leader Adrian Delia called on Prime Minister Joseph Muscat to step down for his failure to safeguard the life of blogger Daphne Caruana Galizia and challenged the government to remove the police commissioner.

"The political blame for her death lies squarely in his lap and he should shoulder responsibility for it," he said.

He also called for the replacement of the Attorney General and for the institutions to recover their independence.

"The police should never have become a political band club where you get ahead because of your political colour," Dr Delia said today in his speech in Parliament responding to the Budget.

"It should be there to serve the people and to protect us all. In the past five years, it has been stripped of its function, its autonomy, its respect and dignity. One police commissioner after another leaving, and people not doing what was their duty to do... The police did nothing to stop the collapse of the law in the Panama case," he said.

The political blame for her death lies squarely in his lap and he should shoulder responsibility for it

Starting off with condolences to the family of slain blogger Daphne Caruana Galizia, he also said that the Attorney General was willing to do the bidding of the government that paid him.

He said that the institutions in the country were collapsing, saying that the unprecedented speech by the Chief Justice at the start of the Forensic Year should have prompted immediate action, instead of the silence that actually followed it.

"Everything in this country has a price now, but I can assure you that the Opposition has no price. We are not for sale. You can be sure that someone will have to pay for this death," he said to applause.

The PN leader's speech was postponed after yesterday's gruesome murder, prompting also a change in Dr Delia's speech.

Delia speaking outside Parliament tonight.

He later spoke to journalists outside Parliament and said it was not possible to discuss the Budget in the circumstances, adding that the party would be attending all the protests being organised about her death and the call for justice.

He also commented on the fact that Ms Caruana Galizia had turned down the government's offer of police protection because she had no faith in the police, saying that the government should have protected her nonetheless.

The Labour Party soon after he left Parliament said it was dismayed that the Opposition Leader had missed the opportunity to send a message of national unity, and instead opted for partisan rhetoric which would split the nation at a time that called for more responsibility.

“Justice is not served by calling names and making baseless allegations but with the serious investigations which will be carried out with the help of foreign law enforcement agents.

The Prime Minister later in the evening said on a TVM programme that the government was considering offering a reward for information about the murder.