Ms Coutinho said: “Handing hundreds of millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money to wealthy families so they can buy heat pumps is money that would be much better spent scrapping some of the taxes and levies that are pushing up everyone’s energy bills.
“We need to stop taxing, bribing and subsidising people to drive certain cars or heat their home in certain ways. We need to just make electricity cheap and bring back consumer choice.”
Net zero is poised to become one of the key battlegrounds before the next general election, with Reform UK pledging to scrap any policies aimed at hitting the 2050 target and cut all subsidies for renewable energy.
It stands in stark contrast to Ed Miliband, the Energy Secretary, who has doubled down on his net zero push as the war in Iran drives up energy costs.
The former Labour leader, who was defeated in the 2015 election, is now among the contenders to replace Sir Keir Starmer as prime minister in a potential party leadership battle.
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme was first introduced in 2022 by the Conservative government with a budget of £450m for three years. Mr Miliband has since extended the programme and increased its funding.
A spokesman for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said: “The British public is showing record demand for heat pumps.
“The Boiler Upgrade Scheme has supported many households to install a heat pump, who otherwise would not have gone ahead.”
The spokesman added: “Through our Warm Homes Plan, low-income families could get a heat pump at no cost at all, as we lift up to one million households out of fuel poverty.”