John Prescott, the former Deputy Prime Minister of Britain, has passed away at the age of 86. His family confirmed the news to the media on Thursday.
Prescott, a former merchant seaman and trade union advocate, served as the Member of Parliament for Hull in northern England for forty years.
His wife, Pauline, and their two sons shared that he passed away “peacefully” in a care home.
“We are deeply saddened to inform you that our beloved husband, father and grandfather, John Prescott, passed away yesterday (Wednesday) at the age of 86,” they announced in a statement, according to AFP.
“He did so surrounded by the love of his family and the jazz music of Marian Montgomery,” they added.
According to reports, Prescott played a significant role alongside Tony Blair in reshaping the Labour Party.
Blair, a privately educated lawyer who appointed working-class Prescott to help appease the Labour left as he moved the party to the centre ground, said he was “devastated” at Prescott’s death.
“There was no one quite like him in British politics,” he told BBC radio.
Keir Starmer, who became Labour’s first prime minister since 2010 after a landslide general election win in July, called Prescott “a true giant of the Labour movement.
“He was a staunch defender of working people and a proud trade unionist. During a decade as deputy prime minister, he was one of the key architects of a Labour government that transformed the lives of millions of people across the nation.
“So much of John’s work set the path for those of us fortunate enough to follow. From leading climate negotiations to fighting regional inequality, his legacy will live on well beyond his lifetime.”
Prescott, who was appointed to the House of Lords, suffered a stroke in 2019 and had been living with Alzheimer’s disease. Due to his health issues, he ceased to be a member of the upper chamber of Parliament in July.
Known for his blunt approach, Prescott served as Deputy Prime Minister under Tony Blair for a decade after Labour’s resounding victory in the 1997 general election. He became infamous during a campaign event in north Wales when he struck a protester who threw an egg at him.
Prescott also played a key role in mediating between Blair and his Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown, who was pivotal in Labour’s transformation during the 1990s and had leadership ambitions.
His responsibilities included overseeing environmental and transportation issues, and he led the UK’s negotiations for the international Kyoto Protocol on climate change.
Blair said in a 2007 letter to Prescott that he saw his role as “smoothing out colleagues and sorting out colleagues and trouble-shooting”.
“The completely unique Prescott blend of charm and brutality… got you through the decade, kept the government together and above all, gave me a lot of fun. I was lucky to have you as my deputy.”
