Kemi Badenoch’s plan to scrap world-leading climate legislation risks future investment and jobs in the UK, Conservative peer Alok Sharma has said. “The path to a prosperous, secure and electable future for the Conservative Party lies in building on our achievements, not abandoning them. We should not squander this for the sake of short-term political expediency.”Shadow energy secretary Claire Coutinho (Jeff Overs/BBC/PA)However, shadow energy secretary Claire Coutinho defended the Conservatives’ plan, insisting that the Government needs to “put cheap electricity first”. Speaking to Sky News on Thursday, Ms Coutinho argued that the Climate Change Act forces politicians to make decisions that make Britons poorer. Some of that is because of the Climate Change Act, which creates this very rigid budget and makes ministers choose these decisions, which are going to make them poorer.