The Labour Party’s plans to renationalise most public utilities will add £176bn to the national debt — the equivalent of nearly £6,500 for every household in Britain.

The collapse of the outsourcing company Carillion has put the Tories under pressure to justify private sector involvement in the public services.

But a report by the Centre for Policy Studies (CPS), the right-of-centre think tank, has calculated that Jeremy Corbyn’s alternative plans would add about 10% to the national debt, which is £1.73 trillion.

Labour’s 2017 manifesto and its subsequent policy announcements have committed the party to the nationalisation of the energy, water, rail and mail sectors, as well as an unknown number of private finance initiative (PFI) deals.

The CPS says Labour’s plans would cost £55.4bn