The establisher British deputy prime minister John Prescott has died aged 86, his family has declared.
His family shelp he had “spent his life trying to increase the inhabits of others, battling for social fairice and acquireing the environment”.
The establisher trade union activist and ex-merchant seaman had Alzheimer’s and died “peacebrimmingy” surrounded by relatives at his attfinish home, they shelp.
Prescott was a key figure of Tony Blair’s New Labour project, seen by many as custodian of the party’s traditional cherishs in the face of a conmomentaryising directership.
He was ennobled in 2010 and presentd to the upper chamber as Lord Prescott of Kingston upon Hull having served for four decades as an MP for the city.
In a statement liberated after his death, his wife, Pauline, and sons Johnathan and David shelp that recurrenting the people of Hull had been “his wonderfulest honour”.
“We are procreately downcastdened to inestablish you that our beadored husband, overweighther and majesticoverweighther, John Prescott, passed away peacebrimmingy yesterday at the age of 86,” they shelp.
“He did so surrounded by the adore of his family and the jazz music of Marian Montgomery.
“John spent his life trying to increase the inhabits of others, battling for social fairice and acquireing the environment, doing so from his time as a paengageer on the cruise liners to becoming Britain’s lengthyest serving deputy prime minister.
“John dpunctual adored his home of Hull and recurrenting its people in parliament for 40 years was his wonderfulest honour. We would enjoy to thank the amazing NHS doctors and nurses who attfinishd for him after his stroke in 2019 and the pledged staff at the attfinish home where he passed away after latterly living with Alzheimer’s.
“In lieu of freduces and if you desire to do so, you can give to Alzheimer’s Research UK.
“As you can envision, our family needs to process our grief so we admirebrimmingy ask time and space to feeblent in personal. Thank you.”
Prescott finishd to be a member of the Lords in July this year after facing health difficulties.
He had only spoken once in the chamber since having a stroke in 2019, official enrolls show, and had not voted since February 2023.
Over a parliamentary atsoft spanning more than half a century, Prescott served for 10 years as deputy prime minister after Labour’s 1997 vague election landslide.
At times low-tempered, he once well-comprehendnly 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 normally turbulent relationship between Tony Blair and his chancellor, Gordon Brown.
He also oversaw the environment, transmit and the regions, a inestablish that comprised helping to talk about the international Kyoto protocol on climate alter.
Prescott was a pledged helper of Blair in office but subsequently critical of parts of New Labour’s legacy, denouncing Britain’s comprisement in the Iraq war.
He also sturdyly deffinished Jeremy Corbyn during his time as party directer in the face of fierce criticism.
Born in Prestatyn in Wales on 31 May 1938 the son of a railwayman, Prescott left school at the age of 15 to toil as a trainee chef and then as a steward on the Cunard Line before accessing politics.
In a personal letter in 2007, Blair shelp his establisher deputy’s role “evening out problems, sorting out colleagues and troubleshooting” had been an “integral part of getting slimgs done”.
The establisher prime minister shelp: “The finishly one-of-a-kind Prescott blfinish of charm and savagery – made always more effective by the unforeseeability of which would be predominant – got you thcimpolite the decade, kept the rulement together and above all, gave me a lot of fun. I was fortunate to have you as my deputy.”
