Keir Starmer & Tony Blair lead tributes to ‘true giant’ after former Deputy Prime Minster John Prescott dies aged 86
Following the death of the former Deputy Prime Minister at the age of 86, KEIR Starmer and Tony Blair led remembrances of the “true giant” John Prescott.
Yesterday, after a fight with Alzheimer’s, Prescott died away quietly at a care facility.
From 1997 until 2007, he was a member of the Labour Party and served as Deputy Prime Minister.
Prescott was a crucial figure in New Labour’s power structure and frequently handled the delicate situation between Gordon Brown and Tony Blair.
Blair paid respects by stating: “I am heartbroken by John’s death. He was among the most gifted politicians I have ever met.
“I am very sorry to learn of John Prescott’s passing,” stated Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Read More John Prescott
“John truly was a titan of the Labour Party. He was a strong trade unionist and an ardent supporter of working people.
He was one of the main designers of a Labour Government that changed the lives of millions of people nationwide during his ten years as deputy prime minister.
“John’s work paved the way for those of us who were lucky enough to follow it.
“His impact will last long after he is gone, from spearheading climate talks to combating regional inequality.
“He will be remembered for his conviction, bravery, and moral fortitude throughout the Labour Party and the union movement.
The secret to his authenticity—an honesty that was acknowledged and valued throughout the political spectrum and the country—was his passion, force of personality, and pride in his working-class heritage.
“Pauline and his entire family, the city of Hull, where he was an MP for forty years, and everyone who knew and loved him have my deepest sympathies on behalf of the Labour Party.
“May he rest in peace.”
After suffering a stroke in 2019, Prescott was residing in a care facility when he died “peacefully” in the company of his loved ones.
Lord Prescott’s wife and two sons released the following statement upon learning of his passing: “We are deeply saddened to inform you that our beloved husband, father, and grandfather, John Prescott, passed away peacefully yesterday at the age of 86.”
“John dedicated his life to enhancing the lives of others, advocating for social justice, and safeguarding the environment,” the family continued.
“From his days as a waiter on cruise ships to his appointment as Britain’s longest-serving deputy prime minister, he accomplished this.
“John dearly loved his home of Hull and representing its people in Parliament for 40 years was his greatest honour.”
In 1970, Prescott was elected as the first Member of Parliament for Kingston upon Hull East, a position he held for nearly 40 years.
He swiftly advanced through the Labour ranks after initially joining the shadow cabinet in 1983 with the transport brief.
Prescott was a key negotiator of the 1997 Kyoto climate change agreement while serving as deputy prime minister.
He was also generally regarded as a working-class champion who made sure that Blair’s centrist reforms were accepted by Labour’s union supporters.
However, his beating of a protester who threw an egg at him during a rally in 2001 is what made him most famous.
“There was only one punch,” the lawmaker jokingly said after the incident.
“‘Are you OK?’ Tony Blair asked me over the phone. and I said, “Yes.” He then asked, “Well, what happened?”
“I said, ‘I was simply doing what you told me. I did as you instructed and reached out to the electorate.
He was also known as “two Jags” because it was revealed that he had a second ministerial vehicle in addition to owning a Jaguar.
He was given a speeding ban in 2015 after being caught driving one of his cherished Jags at 60 mph in a 50 mph zone.
He dismissed accusations of hypocrisy when he was appointed, claiming that he accepted a peerage because his wife Pauline wanted him to, despite having spent entire MP career denouncing the Lords as an affront to democracy.
Prescott had a brief hiatus from politics after serving as Deputy Prime Minister, but he returned to counsel Tony Blair.
After a stroke in 2019 prevented him from attending or casting a ballot, Prescott departed the Lords in July.
He began his career in the Merchant Navy as a steward after being born in the Welsh beach town of Prestatyn.
After that, Prescott attended Oxford’s Ruskin College before going into politics.
Karl Turner, the Member of Parliament for Hull East, expressed his sadness over the death of his friend, former Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott, who was 86 years old.
“John was a devoted socialist and a lifelong member of the Labour Party. John’s commitment to the people of Hull was unshakeable.
“I’ve known John my entire life, so I can attest to the influence he had on thousands of individuals both in the city and the nation.
Alongside my late father Ken, John started his political career as a full-time union official and trade union activist in the National Union of Seamen, which subsequently changed its name to the RMT Union.
For forty years, he represented Kingston upon Hull East as a member of parliament.
Among his many political accomplishments was his crucial involvement in the historic Kyoto Protocol negotiations on climate change.
John assisted in obtaining funds and support for infrastructure initiatives like the Hull tidal barrier on a local level.
“His wife Pauline, sons Jonathan and David, and his beloved grandchildren all have my deepest sympathies.
Read More on The US Sun
“John’s legacy will live on in the hearts of the city he loved and the people he served.”
“May you rest in peace, my friend! Your impact on public life will always be remembered.
Fiery John Prescott was proud to be a blunt-speaking Northerner he was last authentic voice of Britain s working class
Written by Trevor Kavanagh
Kavanagh
The last genuine representative of the working class to hold a high position was John Prescott, a former waiter on the Cunard Line who became Tony Blair’s deputy prime minister.
The Mouth of the Humber, the Hull MP, represented the trade unions in a New Labour government that ultimately ended their monopoly on industrial and economic policy.
In his capacity as the Labour Party’s deputy leader, he also officiated the notorious feuds between Blair and Chancellor Gordon Brown over the Labour Party’s succession.
Prize-winning boxer Burly Prezza was a vicious opponent both inside and outside of Parliament.
He was struck in the face by an egg thrown by a protester during the 2001 election campaign.
Before cops stepped in, Prescott, a man with a hair-trigger anger, delivered a forceful left jab.
He later clarified that there was only one punch. “What happened?” inquired Tony Blair over the phone.
I responded, “You instructed us to engage the electorate, so I did.”
Lord Prescott, who passed away at the age of 86, took pride in his working-class upbringing and his forthright Northern accent.
However, he considered himself a Welshman and was born in Prestatyn.
In later life he admitted carrying a chip on his shoulder after his brother Ray was rewarded with a new bike for passing his 11-plus to a grammar school.
John was unsuccessful and received nothing.
What he saw as a gross injustice fuelled a lifelong resentment towards elitism – even within his own party – and an insecurity which drove him close to the top of the political greasy pole.
He was deeply hurt that in 10 years as deputy PM, he and his glamorous wife, Pauline – an Elizabeth Taylor lookalike – were never invited to dinner at Chequers, the PM s official home.
Prescott blamed Blair s snobbish wife, Cherie.
We never got close to the Blairs, he said. It just didn’t happen. We were not their set. Certainly we were not her set.
The former ship s steward was mocked by toffee-nosed Tories such asNicholas Soames who greeted him in the Commons, crying: Mine s a gin-and-tonic, Giovanni.
And he was teased for mangling the English language, once complaining “the sceptre of unemployment stalking the north-east”.
As Environment supremo, he boasted: The Green Belt is a Labourachievement – and we mean to build on it.
But the son of a railway signaller was no fool.
He studied economics and politics at Ruskin College, Oxford, and scored a BSc degree at Hull University.
He enjoyed his success, living in a turreted mock-Tudor mansion and playing croquet on the lawns of his official home, Dorneywood.
An avowed socialist, he earned his Two Jags nickname by driving an XJ6 Jaguar and using a chauffeur-driven XJ8 for government business.
My roots, my background, the way I act is working class, but it would by hypocritical to say I m anything other than middle class now, he admitted.
John Prescott s remarkable political career crumbled dramatically in 2006 when his two-year love affair with bubbly secretary Tracey Temple was exposed after her jealous lover read her diary.
Tracey, who sold her story to a Sunday newspaper for 250,000, described groping and kissing in the Deputy PM s office and his opulent grace-and-favour Admiralty office flat.
“We were very lucky we were never caught – as we never shut the door, noted Tracey, played by Maxine Peake in Confessions of a Diary Secretary”.
“When I went into his office for diary meetings, if I was wearing a skirt he would slide his hand up my leg, under it.
He used to stroke my back. And, yes, I did give him sex in the office acouple of times.
I knew what we were doing was risky but we both got carried away.
“Seven civil servants worked right outside his office. Of course there were moments when I thought, I shouldn’t be doing this.
“I also thought how surprised and shocked people would be if this ever got out.”
Prezza resigned as deputy Labour leader telling the 2006 party conference: I know I let myself down. I let you down.
“So conference, I apologise.”
Nine years later he returned to front-line politics as unpaid adviser to Ed Miliband on climate change.
Prescott suffered a stroke while campaigning for Mr Corbyn at the 2019 election and retired from politics.
Note: Thank you for visiting our website! We strive to keep you informed with the latest updates based on expected timelines, although please note that we are not affiliated with any official bodies. Our team is committed to ensuring accuracy and transparency in our reporting, verifying all information before publication. We aim to bring you reliable news, and if you have any questions or concerns about our content, feel free to reach out to us via email. We appreciate your trust and support!