Lord Prescott dies surrounded by love and jazz music, say family

John Prescott, the erstwhile lawman premier curate and Labour veteran, has died aged 86, his household has announced.

The erstwhile commercialized national activistic served arsenic Sir Tony Blair’s lawman for 10 years aft Labour’s 1997 predetermination landslide.

In a connection announcing his death, Lord Prescott’s woman and 2 sons said helium had been successful a attraction location precocious surviving with Alzheimer’s.

“We are profoundly saddened to pass you that our beloved husband, begetter and grandfather, John Prescott, passed distant peacefully yesterday astatine the property of 86,” they said.

“He did truthful surrounded by the emotion of his household and the jazz euphony of Marian Montgomery.”

In a vocation that stretched backmost implicit fractional a century, Lord Prescott was archetypal elected arsenic MP for Hull East successful 1970 and went connected to clasp the spot for astir 40 years.

Lord Prescott joined the shadiness furniture successful 1983 with work for transport.

Between 1997 and 2007, helium was lawman to erstwhile Prime Minister Tony Blair and received a peerage successful 2010.

His status from the Commons, and interruption from frontline politics, did not past agelong arsenic 5 years aboriginal helium was advising Ed Miliband and, successful 2017, supporting Jeremy Corbyn.

Lord Prescott ceased to beryllium a subordinate of the House of Lords successful July of this twelvemonth owed to non-attendance, having lone spoken erstwhile successful the enclosure since suffering a changeable successful 2019. He had not voted since February 2023, according to authoritative records.

Born successful Prestatyn, Wales, Lord Prescott near schoolhouse astatine 15 and worked arsenic a steward successful the Merchant Navy. He past studied astatine Ruskin College successful Oxford, earlier entering politics.

“John spent his beingness trying to amended the lives of others, warring for societal justness and protecting the environment, doing truthful from his clip arsenic a waiter connected the cruise liners to becoming Britain’s longest serving Deputy Prime Minister,” his household said.

“John dearly loved his location of Hull and representing its radical successful Parliament for 40 years was his top honour.”

Lord Prescott joined his wife, Pauline, successful 1961 and they had 2 children unneurotic - David and Jonathan.

He was nicknamed “two jags” by the property aft it emerged helium had 2 Jaguar cars. But successful 2021, helium revealed helium nary longer had a centrifugal vehicle, saying "I americium present Zero Jags”.

He besides famously punched a antheral who threw an ovum astatine him portion connected the wide predetermination run way successful Rhyl, North Wales successful 2001.

After pictures of the incidental appeared successful property astir the world, a caller nickname of “two jabs” was coined for him by journalists.

Lord Prescott said helium had acted successful self-defence and constabulary refused to instrumentality immoderate further action. Subsequent paper polls suggested astir radical supported his reaction.

Commenting astatine the time, Sir Tony said: “John is John”.

Though a loyal protagonist of Sir Tony during his clip successful office, Lord Prescott was aboriginal captious of Britain’s engagement successful the Iraq war, telling the BBC that the 2003 penetration of the state "cannot beryllium justified".

To the astonishment of galore of his supporters, helium accepted a peerage successful 2010 contempt reportedly having erstwhile said: "I don't privation to beryllium a subordinate of the House of Lords. I volition not judge it."

He defended the determination due to the fact that it would springiness him continued power implicit biology policy.

But his astir robust interventions successful Lords debates progressive attacking the government's effect to the phone-hacking scandal.

For Lord Prescott, the substance was idiosyncratic - his lawyers alleged the News of the World had placed him nether surveillance, and successful 2012 helium won a wage retired from the paper's genitor company, News International.

His household thanked NHS doctors and nurses who cared for him aft his changeable successful 2019 and the “dedicated unit astatine the attraction location wherever helium passed distant aft latterly surviving with Alzheimer’s”.

“As you tin imagine, our household needs to process our grief truthful we respectfully petition clip and abstraction to mourn successful private.”