Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi claimed that “unlike” the Conservative Party, the Labour MPs aimed to impose a “lockdown before Christmas”.

       Mr Zahawi apparently twisted the words of Labour MP Wes Streeting, who is serving as the Shadow Secretary of State for Health, claiming that he had said that “if you act fast and hard you do better actually advocating for a stronger lockdown.”

       The debate turned heated when Ms Raworth declared that he never uttered those words.

       She deconstructed Mr Zahawi’s version, reiterating that Labour never once mentioned the word “lockdown”.

       She said: “Labour didn’t want to lockdown before Christmas, they didn’t call [for a lockdown].

       Mr Zahawi went on to claim that once 2021 had ended, the Labour Party quickly backtracked on its beliefs after witnessing that it was indeed the right call not to introduce a crackdown in retrospect.

       After being lost for words he urged her to “check the interview”.

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       He added: “He was advocating for stronger lockdown but in the new year he said it was wonderful that we didn’t lockdown. “

       But last month Mr Streeting told Sky News host Trevor Phillips before Christmas that nobody “wanted to see a lockdown”.

       He had said: “I hope we don’t have to."

       “I don’t think that a lockdown will be necessary if the government takes action sooner rather than later.

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       “I am not trying to be difficult about this.

       “We’re gonna see the chief medical officer and the scientific advices and follow the advice.”

       Mr Streeting took to Twitter this morning to set the record straight as he accused the Tories of lying.

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       He said: At no point did Labour call for a lockdown for Christmas.

       “Or after Christmas.

       "The reason the Tories repeat this lie is because they can’t attack the truth.

       “Without Labour’s sensible and pragmatic approach they couldn’t have even delivered Plan B measures that have worked!"