THE Labour candidate hoping to win the Westmorland and Lonsdale seat joined local party activists in Kendal to campaign against fat cat wages.

John Bateson, left, outlined how Labour would tackle the gap between rich and poor.

“The gap has widened during the last five years, people are earning £1,600 less a year on average after inflation,” he said.

“But the coalition have cut taxes for the wealthy. The Barclays Bank chief executive recently accepted a £1.1 million bonus even though profits dropped by over 20 per cent, meanwhile families are £974 a year worse off. The balance needs to be reset.”

Mr Bateson said: “If Labour wins the election in May we will tax bank bonuses to pay for the Compulsory Jobs Guarantee, introduce a 50p tax rate for those earning over £150,000, help low and middle income families by raising the income tax threshold, raise the minimum wage, abolish the bedroom tax and cap energy price rises.”