‘True giant of the Labour movement’: John Prescott dies, aged 86

ITV News Political Correspondent Romilly Weeks looks back on John Prescott’s political career
Tributes have flooded in for John Prescott, Britain’s longest-serving deputy prime minister, following his death aged 86.
Lord Prescott’s family, who announced he had died after living with Alzheimer’s, said he had “spent his life trying to improve the lives of others, fighting for social justice and protecting the environment”.
The King, former prime ministers Sir Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and Sir Keir Starmer honoured the former trade union activist and ex-merchant seaman by describing him as a “great man” with a “unique and indomitable character”.
In a statement, his widow Pauline and his sons Jonathan and David said: “We are deeply saddened to inform you that our beloved husband, father and grandfather, John Prescott, has passed away peacefully at the age of 86.
“He did so surrounded by the love of his family and the jazz music of Marian Montgomery.”
Their tribute continued: “John spent his life trying to improve the lives of others, fighting for social justice and protecting the environment, doing so from his time as a waiter on the cruise liners to becoming Britain’s longest serving Deputy Prime Minister.
“John dearly loved his home of Hull and representing its people in Parliament for 40 years was his greatest honour.”
His family thanked those who cared for the former Hull MP after he suffered a stroke in 2019 and during his more recent illness.
They said: “We would like to thank the amazing NHS doctors and nurses who cared for him after his stroke in 2019 and the dedicated staff at the care home where he passed away after latterly living with Alzheimer’s.
“In lieu of flowers and if you wish to do so, you can donate to Alzheimer’s Research UK.”
The family ended the statement saying: “As you can imagine, our family needs to process our grief so we respectfully request time and space to mourn in private. Thank you.”
King Charles paid tribute to Lord Prescott’s “decades of public service” on Thursday.
“I am deeply saddened to learn of the death of Lord Prescott. I remember with great fondness his unique and indomitable character, as well as his infectious sense of humour,” the King said.
“My thoughts and greatest sympathy are with Lord Prescott’s wife, family and loved ones at such a difficult time, and I am sure that very many people will recognise and greatly appreciate Lord Prescott’s decades of public service in front-line politics, not least as the United Kingdom’s longest-serving deputy prime minister.”
The son of a railwayman, Lord Prescott left school at the age of 15 to work as a trainee chef and then as a steward on the Cunard Line before entering politics.
Over a parliamentary career spanning more than half a century, Prescott served ten years as Tony Blair’s deputy prime minister following Labour’s 1997 General Election landslide.
He was a key figure of the New Labour project, seen by many as a custodian of the party’s traditional values in the face of a modernising leadership.
Prescott also oversaw the environment, transport and the regions, a brief which included helping to negotiate the international Kyoto Protocol on climate change.
At times short-tempered, he once famously punched a protester who threw an egg at him during an election campaign visit to North Wales in 2001.
But during much of his time in office, he acted as a mediator in the often turbulent relationship between Blair and then-chancellor Gordon Brown.
Blair said early on Thursday he was “devastated” by Prescott’s death and described his deputy as “one of the most talented people I ever encountered in politics”.
“Although we all knew that the end was approaching and was inevitable, I am devastated by John’s passing. He was one of the most talented people I ever encountered in politics; one of the most committed and loyal; and definitely the most unusual.
“There was nothing about John which fitted conventional wisdom. He was from proud traditional working class stock yet understood instinctively and completely the aspirations of that class and their desire to better themselves,” he added.
Gordon Brown paid tribute to “former boxer” Prescott, and said he was “key to holding the ring and keeping things together during difficult times such as over Iraq”.
Brown added: “John Lennon said the working class hero is a difficult thing to be, but I think John would be just fine with being remembered that way.
“He wanted the good things in life for everyone and not just himself. And he showed that Britain can be a country where if you work hard you can fill your potential.”
Brown described him as a “great guy” who was “always positive, even throughout these illnesses” he suffered, such as bulimia, diabetes and towards the end of his life, Alzheimer’s.
Speaking to broadcasters, Brown added: “People talk about what he said but what did he do? He transformed our view of climate change – he was the leader in that. He improved one-and-a-half million houses, so people are living in far better homes as a result of that. Nobody’s done that ever since.
“And at the same time he led the way on regional policy in getting Scotland, Wales, the regions of England, he was the pioneer, if you like, of levelling up. He wanted to see every part of the country enjoying economic prosperity.
“So John was actually a change merchant. He got things done. He wasn’t just talk, I mean people think of him as an uncompromising trade unionist, who was incredibly determined – he actually got things done.”
Prime Minister Starmer told the Commons on Thursday that Prescott was a “true giant of the Labour movement”, saying “he did it all in his own way, with humour, pride, passion and total conviction – he truly was a one off.”
Former Labour health secretary Alan Johnson said his friend “did so much” that “largely went under the radar”, telling ITV News: “Now, I think it’s a chance to celebrate.”
“Wherever you look, you’ll see a fundamental change that John Prescott helped to introduced,” he said.
“If you are a pensioner with a bus pass, that’s John Prescott – that was his policy he drove through.
“If you enjoy walking in the countryside, the “right to roam” was John Prescott.
“If you’re interested in safety at sea, John made that his real issue in that huge department that he ran.
“If you believed that our country is too centralised and need to decentralise, that’s John. And if you believe the phrase levelling up – John didn’t have a phrase but he did it… he was about making the regions, the north in particular, equally prosperous as the south.”
And “most importantly” he added his work on climate change.
Johnson applauded his friend for being “ahead of his time” in speaking out about himself personally – in particular, his years-long battle with bulimia.
“He was open and honest about that, as he was with his diabetes, because he believed that by being open, as far as bulimia is concerned, that was something that was seen as being about young girls, when he was pointing out that he had it as well,” he told ITV News.
“That was John’s solidarity with other people – his compassion for others and his absolute driving ambition to improve people’s lives.”
While a loyal supporter of Mr Blair in office, in the past few years Prescott, who was born in Prestatyn, north Wales, has been critical of the legacy of New Labour, especially its involvement in the Iraq War.
Writing in The Sunday Mirror in 2016, Prescott said he would live with the decision made to invade Iraq and the subsequent “catastrophic consequences” for the rest of his life.
“A day doesn’t go by when I don’t think of the decision we made to go to war. Of the British troops who gave their lives or suffered injuries for their country,” he wrote.
“Of the 175,000 civilians who died from the Pandora’s Box we opened by removing Saddam Hussein.”
Prescott staunchly defended Jeremy Corbyn while he was Labour leader, despite fierce criticism by other figures from the New Labour era.
Former US vice president Al Gore, who worked with Prescott on the Kyoto Protocol climate change agreement in 1997, said he had “never worked with anyone in politics – on my side of the pond or his – quite like John Prescott”.
Mr Gore said in a statement: “He possessed an inherent ability to connect with people about the issues that mattered to them — a talent that others spend years studying and cultivating, but that was second nature to him.
“He fought like hell to negotiate the Kyoto Protocol and was an unwavering champion of climate action for decades to come. I’m forever grateful to John for that commitment to solving the climate crisis and will miss him as a dear friend.”
Subscribe free to our weekly newsletter for exclusive and original coverage from ITV News. Direct to your inbox every Friday morning.
Have you heard The Trapped? Listen as Daniel Hewitt exposes the UK’s dirty secret