2 hours Ago By Alex Croft
Tributes have been paid to former Labour deputy prime minister John Prescott , who has died aged 86. Lord Prescott, a former trade union activist and ex-merchant seaman who went on to be a key figure within Sir Tony Blair’s New Labour project, died “peacefully” surrounded by relatives at his care home after a battle with Alzheimer’s , his family said in a statement. His family said they are “deeply saddened” after the death of a “beloved husband, father and grandfather”.
Lord Prescott had “spent his life trying to improve the lives of others, fighting for social justice and protecting the environment”, they added. Lord Prescott was viewed by many as the man who carried the torch for the traditional labour movement within his party, at a time when it was being radically modernised by Sir Tony and Gordon Brown. In 2010 he was introduced to the House of Lords as Baron Prescott of Kingston upon Hull, after representing the city for four decades in the Commons.
Sir Tony has said he is “devastated” by Lord Prescott’s death, describing him as “one of the most talented people I ever encountered in politics”. Incumbent prime minister Sir Keir Starmer said Lord Prescott was a “true giant of the Labour movement” and one of the “key architects” of Labour’s last government..
