David Davis: So, Chancellor, will you return the freedoms we lost under Blair?

As Tony Blair reflects on his legacy, Taking Liberties, a film released on 8 June, documents how New Labour has undermined our ancient British freedoms over the past decade.

The Government says the rules of the game have changed: the terrorist threat has escalated and we must trade some freedom for our security. That assessment is superficial. New Labour has undermined our freedoms, but the most damning indictment is the liberty taken with our security in the process. Each shortcut the Government takes with our freedoms masks a shortcoming in its counter-terrorism strategy.

Taking Liberties documents three examples. First, freedom of speech has been restricted - from being prevented from wearing "Bollocks to Blair" T-shirts to the ban on demonstrations within a kilometre of Parliament. Yet these powers are not properly used against the real threats. Extremist groups such as Hizb ut-Tahrir are not banned. Terrorist groups such as the Tamil Tigers hold rallies at Speakers' Corner. The extremist preacher Abu Hamza was left free to foment hatred against this country for years.

Second, the right to privacy has been corroded. The DNA database holds data on 100,000 innocent children, but serious criminals are left off. ID cards are touted as the answer to all our problems. But experts say that ID cards will cluster our personal information in one place, making it a prime target for criminals and terrorists.

Third, the Government backs ever longer periods of detention without charge. The Home Secretary, the Attorney General and the Justice minister have all said there is no evidence justifying an extension beyond 28 days. Still we hear reports that the Government wants 90 days. The real reason is the difficulty in collating all the information emerging from the increased terrorist threat. This is a straightforward argument for resources, but also hides government incompetence. After 11 September, the Government took two years to respond with extra resources for intelligence. Since 7/7, Gordon Brown has frozen the Home Office budget. No extension of pre-charge detention can claw back lost ground, and 90 days would make things worse, driving disaffected young Muslims into the arms of extremists.

In the present control order crisis, the Home Secretary blames the opposition, the courts and human rights for three terror suspects escaping. He complains he has one arm tied behind his back. The truth is he has been sitting on both hands.

More than a third of control order suspects are on the run. Reid's latest buck-passing masks three mistakes, all his responsibility. Why did he not use all the existing powers available, including tagging, if these individuals were as "dangerous" as he says? Why, when they disappeared, did the Government wait two days to release their names, allowing them to flee the country through Labour's lax border controls? And why is Reid suggesting we need extra pre-charge detention before exhausting all other avenues, including seeking a derogation from the European Convention on Human Rights, if necessary?

Talking Liberties charts Tony Blair's legacy. The question is where does Gordon Brown stand in this debate. It is a sign of the leadership to come that he has said nothing on these issues.

Liberty and security are not tradable commodities. We cannot defend our freedoms by sacrificing them.

David Davis is shadow Home Secretary