SIR – Like everyone, I welcome Stephen Hester’s decision to turn down the near £1 million bonus he was offered.

But let’s be clear – it was Labour’s decision to force a Commons vote on this issue that made him change his mind.

Not David Cameron or George Osborne, but Ed Miliband, acting on behalf of British taxpayers, showing he is not afraid to take on the unfairness of City bonuses and pay.

For months, Labour has been calling for all bankers’ bonuses to be taxed (as they were under the Labour government) to provide funding for 100,000 jobs for young people.

It is not right that more than one million young people have joined the dole queue, while bankers award themselves massive pay deals and bonuses for achieving nothing.

The banks are still not lending to small businesses, despite the billions of taxpayers’ money poured in to keep them going.

Look at what’s happened to Brown’s in Worcester (Worcester News, Januray 25) – a landmark Worcester restaurant lost for lack of financial support.

It is time the Tories and Lib Dems did the decent thing and listened to Labour, the only political party truly fighting for fairness in these tough times.

JOY SQUIRES
Labour party parliamentary candidate for Worcester