Tributes paid to former Hull MP and Deputy Prime Minister Lord Prescott who has died aged 86

Lord Prescott (right) pictured at a Chamber of Commerce meeting with fellow Hull MPs (from left) Dame Diana Johnson and Alan Johnson.

FORMER Hull MP and Deputy Prime Minister to Tony Blair, Lord John Prescott, has died aged 86, it was announced on today.

Lord Prescott served in Mr Blair’s Government for 10 years after Labour’s 1997 election victory, but also played an important role in Hull’s recent history, helping to get Hull Trains established while he was in Government and campaigning on climate change and the shipping industry.

He passed away in a care home where he had been living with Alzheimer’s disease and is survived by his wife Pauline and two sons David and Johnathan.

Tributes poured in for the man who represented Hull in Parliament for 40 years and remained a well-known and active figure in local politics.

He was born in Prestatyn, Wales and left school at 15 before joining the Merchant Navy. He later studied at Oxford University before going into politics.

Lord Prescott is still the longest-serving Deputy Prime Minister the UK has seen and played a major role in the 1997 Kyoto agreement on climate change. He eventually oversaw the transition of power from Tony Blair to Gordon Brown.

In his tribute to Lord Prescott, Tony Blair described him as “one of the most committed and loyal men he encountered in politics and definitely the most unusual.”

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said Lord Prescott was a “true giant of the Labour movement” with a pride in his working-class roots.

Those working class roots were famously demonstrated when a protester threw an egg at him during the 2001 General Election campaign and John Prescott retaliated by punching the man responsible before wrestling him to the ground.

Chamber Chief Executive Dr Ian Kelly said: “John Prescott certainly added colour! He deserves credit for overseeing the arrival of Hull Trains amongst other things and bringing regeneration cash to the city, while his work on climate change and his passion for the shipping industry were well respected by those who knew and worked with him.”

Former Home Secretary and fellow Hull MP, Alan Johnson, said John Prescott was very intelligent and very dedicated.

The new leader of the Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, also joined those paying tribute, telling the House of Commons that she offered her “heartfelt condolences” on behalf of the Party, describing Prescott as a titan of British politics and one of the country’s greatest examples of social mobility and a true patriot.”