Labour's 'obsessive' drive towards Net Zero could cost Britons a staggering £4.5 trillion over the next 25 years, official estimates suggest.

Critics said the extraordinary mounting costs for measures such as wind farms, solar panels, green heating systems and upgrades to roads and railways are significantly higher than previous forecasts and could 'bankrupt' the economy.

The figures, quietly published last month by the National Energy System Operator (NESO) – a Government quango responsible for Britain's energy systems – includes an estimated £585 billion to be forked out by ordinary households to pay for the move away from energy–guzzling boilers towards eco–friendly heat pumps.

And new wind farms and electricity pylons across the country would cost £1 trillion, it estimates, while switching to electric vehicles and building more charging stations could add further costs of up to £2.6 trillion.

In total, NESO estimates Britain will need to spend £182 billion a year to reach its targets by 2050.

Reform UK's deputy leader, Richard Tice, told The Mail on Sunday the figures were evidence that the policy should be scrapped.

He said: 'This confirms what I have always said – the Government's obsession with Net stupid Zero will only succeed in bankrupting the country.

'A Reform government will scrap Net Zero immediately, cut energy bills and restore growth.'

Climate Change and Net Zero Secretary Ed Miliband. Labour's 'obsessive' drive towards Net Zero could cost Britons a staggering £4.5 trillion over the next 25 years, official estimates suggest

A large windmill farm. NESO estimates that new wind farms and electricity pylons across the country would cost £1 trillion

Shadow Energy and Net Zero Secretary Claire Coutinho added the figures highlight the 'lies' and fundamental hypocrisy of the Net Zero campaign.

Range anxiety fears over ministers' EVs 

Ministers are getting 'range anxiety' in their official electric vehicles (EVs), The Mail on Sunday can reveal.

There are 42 fully electric Jaguar I–Pace cars in the Government's 108–strong fleet of ministerial cars.

But insiders have said that because of the cars' weak battery life, they can't ferry ministers from London to anywhere further than the Midlands.

The Jaguars have a 250–mile range when they roll off the factory floor, making a round trip beyond Birmingham almost impossible in them.

And during cold snaps, performance can drop by 30–40 per cent – rendering them effectively useless for visits outside London.

The Government is committed to having a 100 per cent zero–emission fleet by next year, raising fears that ministerial visits across the country will be drastically curtailed.