Labour conference - We will be aggressive on tax with big firms

In his speech to the party conference, John McDonnell also launched a stinging attack on the government's austerity plan, while criticising George Osborne for not getting the deficit wiped out as quickly as he had vowed.

The left-winger, who was Jeremy Corbyn's right hand man during the leadership election, said Labour would end the 'brutal' treatment of disabled people being judged fit to work and losing their benefits.

"Austerity is not an economic necessity, it's a political choice," he told the conference in Brighton.

"The leadership of the Conservative Party made a conscious decision six years ago that the very richest would be protected and it wouldn't be those who caused the economic crisis, who would pay for it.

"When we challenge their austerity programme, the Conservatives accuse us of being deficit deniers.

"Let me make this absolutely clear.

"Of course we accept that there is a deficit but we will take no lessons from a chancellor who promised to wipe out the deficit in one Parliament but didn't get through half."

Promising to invest in key industries and sectors that would deliver 'sustainable long term economic growth' he also appealed to voters in Scotland who abandoned Labour for the SNP to 'come home'.

"Labour's plan to balance the books will be aggressive," he said.

"We will force people like Starbucks, Vodafone, Amazon and Google and all the others to pay their fair share of taxes.

"Let me tell you also, there will be cuts to tackle the deficit but our cuts will not be the number of police officers on our streets or nurses in our hospitals or teachers in our classrooms."

He also said he would cut some of the £13 billion worth of tax breaks given to buy to let landlords for repairing their properties, when they do not undertake the repairs.

Announcing a review of the Treasury he also accused the Tories of presiding over 'the longest fall in workers' pay since Queen Victoria sat on the throne' and said he saw the 'warning signs appearing again' of another crash.

Appealing with a call of 'solidarity' to former shadow cabinet ministers who refused to serve in Mr Corbyn's cabinet, including Wolverhampton North East MP Emma Reynolds, Mr McDonnell said: "I admit that I was disappointed that after Jeremy's election some refused to serve.

"In the spirit of solidarity upon which our movement was founded I say come back and help us succeed."

Miss Reynolds said: "As a Labour MP, I am as committed as ever to representing my home town in Parliament and making the case for a Labour government."