Priti Patel:

In the United Kingdom, freedom is at the heart of our great democracy. We enjoy a society where we can each live our lives as we choose. As a Conservative, I believe that this is an essential foundation for a life of liberty. And I know that from my own family’s background we can never take our freedoms for granted. I believe that freedom and security are not opposites, but equals. I know that giving people the security they need to live their lives as they choose, free from fear, is essential.

So both the Prime Minister and I are the last people The Daily Telegraph’s readers would expect to be advocating a curtailment to the British people’s liberty in order to fight this disease. And I will not apologise for seeking to do everything possible to avoid this second bout of national restrictions – although not the same as the full-scale lockdown of March and April.

I passionately believe that pursuing a local and a regional approach was the right thing to do. It was right to try every possible option to get the virus under control at a local level.

I know the devastating impact of national restrictions on those whose home is not the safe haven it should be. We have seen criminals and fraudsters exploiting Covid-19, perpetrators of sickening online child sexual abuse seeking to exploit the fact that more young people are online, and calls to the National Domestic Abuse Helpline rise by 120 per cent in one 24-hour period. It is why I launched the campaign #Youarenotalone to reach out to those who are at risk from abuse, highlighting that they can still leave home to get the support that they need. We have also provided

£750 million of funding for charities who provide a lifeline for victims of domestic abuse and their families.

Be in no doubt, we will continue to adopt a pragmatic and local approach in the months ahead. And as of Dec 2 we can return to that regional approach, when the national restrictions end. But the R rate is now above one in every part of the country and – as in many countries across Europe – the prevalence of the virus is spreading faster than the reasonable worst-case scenario which government departments were asked to plan for in the summer.

The heroic efforts of millions have not been in vain. The sacrifices and forbearance of the vast majority helped pull us back from the brink. But we cannot ignore the facts – this virus is on the rise. So it is crucial that my colleagues in Parliament back the time-limited national restrictions before them today.