John McDonnell’s vow to end nuclear power and weapons in first 100 days of a Labour government via The Telegraph

John McDonnell, the shadow chancellor, has promised that Labour would bring an end to nuclear power and nuclear weapons in the first 100 days of a Labour government.

In footage uncovered by The Telegraph, Mr McDonnell said that he wanted to build on the early success of Gordon Brown, who mapped his first days in power shortly after becoming prime minister.

The shadow chancellor also said that Labour would introduce a wealth tax and a land tax, renationalise the railways and pull out of Afghanistan.

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His comments on nuclear are particularly controversial in light of the historic by-election defeat in Copeland last month, where the Sellafield nuclear site is a huge employer.

Speaking after the humiliating loss, Mr McDonnell admitted that “the nuclear [issue] dominated and we couldn’t cut through on that one.” He also confessed that voters “weren’t convinced that the party supported the nuclear industry” and that Labour “couldn’t cut through on that one”.

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“We have got a create a climate of opinion which on individual issues and our overall analysis of society is so well understood that they recognise to get elected they have to espouse those policies.”

He said that the economic downturn was following “the same blueprint of the 1930s recession”.