Caroline Lucas has slammed a government minister who accused her of being an “eco-fanatic” and “anti-nuclear radical” in a misspelt post on social media.

Grant Shapps, secretary of state for energy security and net zero, claimed that left-wing parties are working to stop the government’s plans to revive nuclear power.

Among his criticism of the Liberal Democrats, Labour and the SNP, which he branded “Just Stop Nuclear”, he took aim at the Green Party and their MP for Brighton Pavilion Caroline Lucas.

In a tweet, he said the Greens “brand nuclear power a distraction and want to phase it out entirely”. He also shared a graphic that featured Ms Lucas and misspelt the word Britain.

“The Greens will give Putin the power to hold Britian hostage,” the graphic said.

“Only the Conservatives will deliver the nuclear power we need to safeguard national energy security.”

Ms Lucas has previously said nuclear power is costly and dangerous and that there are cheaper, faster, safer, more effective ways of getting our emissions down.

In response to Mr Shapps. she said: “Grant Shapps’s utterly absurd and embarrassingly misspelled attack shows just how this Tory government really has lost all sense of reality.

“New nuclear is agonisingly slow - with Sizewell C not expected to be ready for another 13 to 17 years at the earliest, and too late to meet our 2035 electricity decarbonisation target.

“But it’s also staggeringly expensive - with Hinkley C, still not online, expected to cost as much as £33 billion.

“We know what would bring about energy security - abundant and affordable renewables, a solar panel on every new roof, and a street-by-street home insulation programme.

“Why won’t Shapps get on with his job and start delivering it, rather than blaming everyone except himself?”

The Argus: Caroline Lucas criticised the post as 'utterly absurd'Caroline Lucas criticised the post as 'utterly absurd'

Mr Shapps has promised that the UK will lead a “renaissance” on nuclear energy, floating a potential £20 billion plan backing the development of smaller-scale nuclear technology projects.

Companies will be able to sign up for a competition to develop new nuclear reactors with a new government body, Great British Nuclear.

Ministers have promised that the body will help the government hit its target that around a quarter of the country’s electricity will come from nuclear power by 2050.