The recently appointed Energy Secretary, Claire Coutinho, has delivered a message of reassurance to families, promising that she won’t impose higher bills on them merely to achieve ambitious green targets.

In her first major statement since joining the Cabinet, Ms Coutinho has firmly opposed the notion of expecting individuals to “change their lives” in the pursuit of environmental goals.

The Energy Security Secretary cautions that Labour’s ecological proposals could lead to job losses, economic ruin and widespread power outages.

In an article for Sun on Sunday, Ms Coutinho said: “Hard-working families should not be forced to change their lives or have extra financial burdens put on them.

“That’s what Labour don’t understand though – you can’t punish people to reach net zero.”

The Energy Secretary writes: “We could achieve Labour’s 2030 net zero target – a target no country in the world has adopted.

“But it would send our businesses abroad and leave people literally in the dark. The NHS would seize up and the economy would be destroyed.”