The Covid-19 R rate has fallen slightly to between 1.2 and 1.4, the official estimate by government scientists says. 

Experts from the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) also said that the growth rate of the virus was between +3% and +6% across the whole of the UK. 

The value is the estimate for the reproduction number, or R rate, for coronavirus transmission. Any R rate above 1.0 means that the pandemic is growing. 

But it represents hope nonetheless as, last week, the R value was estimated to be between 1.3 and 1.5, with a growth rate between +4% and +7%.

An R number between 1.2 and 1.4 means that on average every 10 people infected will infect between 12 and 14 other people. 

The most likely value is towards the middle of that range, according to the experts.

The figures published on Friday saw both the R and growth rate at their highest in the south-west and south-east. 

Amid widespread fears the second wave could see people cut off from one another over the festive season, Downing Street said on Friday people may still be able to celebrate Christmas “as a family”. 

A No.10 spokesperson told a Westminster briefing: “The PM has been clear previously that he is hopeful that in many ways we could be able to get some aspects of our lives back to normal by Christmas.

“As I say, we’ve been clear about the ambition to ensure that people may celebrate Christmas as a family this year.”

It comes as Boris Johnson enforces the new three-tier local lockdown system across England, with Greater Manchester and Liverpool among the places now subject to the strictest rules. 

The prime minister this week also refused to back Sage and Labour demands for a national “circuit breaker” lockdown. 

And fresh questions were being asked over the test and trace system after the service hit a record low on Thursday, with its figures showing just shy of 60% of close contacts of positive cases had been traced.