The European Commission plans to unveil long-delayed 'ecodesign' restrictions on small household appliances in the Northern hemisphere autumn. They are expected to ban the most energy-inefficient devices from sale in order to cut carbon emissions.

The plans have been ready for many months, but were shelved for fear of undermining the referendum campaign if they were perceived on an assault on the British staples of tea and toast. A sales ban on high-powered vacuum cleaners and inefficient electric ovens in 2014 sparked a public outcry in Britain.

EU officials have been instructed to immediately warn their senior managers of any issues in their portfolios that relate to the UK and could boost the Leave campaign were they to become public.

The decision to push ahead with the plans soon after the British vote was revealed by Jean-Claude Juncker, the European Commission president, at the weekly College of Commissioners meeting on April 20.

Internet routers, hand-dryers, mobile phones and patio jet-washers are also being examined by commission experts as candidates for new ecodesign rules.

However, several products may be granted a stay of execution, as officials admitted the plans are a lightning rod for public anger at perceived meddling by Brussels.

At the meeting, Jyrki Katainen, the Commission's vice president for growth, said they should push ahead with the plans for standardised energy usage limits as they could contribute significantly to emissions targets.

But he "admitted that ecodesign standards were sometimes ridiculed in the media in terms of the political and geostrategic issues the union was faced with", according to official minutes of the meeting.

Toaster won't brown? Blame the bureaucrats

David Coburn, a UK Independence Party Member of the European Parliament, has blamed the EU after finding it took his toaster four attempts to brown the bread sufficiently to spread marmalade, and the minutes show how political fraught the issue has become.

Commissioners admitted they need to take a "diplomatic" approach when choosing which items to regulate due to the "sensitivity surrounding certain products".

They must "take into consideration the criticisms levelled at the EU, which was seen as intruding too much into citizens' daily lives."  But the public might be convinced if it is pointed out that more efficient products will save them money on their electricity bills, they added.

The decision on what products to regulate will be overseen by Mr Juncker during a full meeting of the college, after he decided the issue could not be left to mid-ranking bureaucrats.

The commission will also get green campaigners and other interested groups to "speak out in favour" of the move, the minutes say, as part of  a major public relations exercise.

Britain is likely to be hit hardest under any crackdown: the UK accounts for a third of all EU kettle sales, despite having just 11 per cent of the population. That is due to a national love of tea that sees consumption outstrip the continental average by a factor of six.

Elżbieta Bieńkowska, the single market commissioner, confirmed in 2014 that kettles had been identified by the scheme's early studies as having "considerable energy saving potential."

But industry bodies have lobbied against the shakeup, claiming the EU has overstated the potential savings.

Matthew Elliott, chief executive of the Vote Leave campaign said: "The EU now interferes with so many aspect of our lives, from our breakfast to our borders. If we vote remain we will be powerless to prevent an avalanche of EU regulation that Brussels is delaying until after the referendum."

The Telegraph London