'Devastated' Tony Blair leads tributes to John Prescott after former deputy PM dies aged 86

21 November 2024, 07:40 | Updated: 21 November 2024, 09:20

A "devastated" Tony Blair has paid tribute to John Prescott after he died aged 86.

Lord Prescott died "peacefully" and surrounded by relatives at his care home on Wednesday, following a battle with Alzheimer's.

He spent his life "trying to improve the lives of others, fighting for social justice and protecting the environment", his family said in a statement.

The former trade union activist served for 10 years as deputy prime minister after Labour's general election landslide in 1997.

He was later welcomed into the upper chamber as Baron Prescott of Kingston upon Hull, having served for four decades as an MP for the city.

Read more: Former deputy PM John Prescott dies aged 86 following battle with Alzheimer's

"John spent his life trying to improve the lives of others, fighting for social justice and protecting the environment, doing so from his time as a waiter on the cruise liners to becoming Britain's longest serving deputy prime minister," his family said.

"John dearly loved his home of Hull and representing its people in Parliament for 40 years was his greatest honour."

Gordon Brown reflects on the life and achievements of John Prescott

Leading tributes to him on Thursday, Sir Tony Blair remembered Lord Prescott as "a great man and great servant of country and party".

"Although we all knew that the end was approaching and was inevitable, I am devastated by John's passing," he said.

"He was one of the most talented people I ever encountered in politics; one of the most committed and loyal; and definitely the most unusual.

"There was nothing about John which fitted conventional wisdom. He was from proud traditional working class stock yet understood instinctively and completely the aspirations of that class and their desire to better themselves.

"He was liberal and tolerant, yet instantly intolerant of any overly liberal middle class dismissal of the misery suffered by poor inner city communities from crime and drug abuse.

"He could talk in the bluntest and sometimes bluest language, but it concealed a first rate intellect which meant he thought as deeply about issues as much as he cared about them.

"It is no exaggeration to say the Labour Party could never have won three consecutive full terms without John. He was a commanding presence.

"He represented the wing of the party which was not New Labour, but he did it in a way which never reduced the effectiveness of our appeal and indeed extended it, broadening the base of our support.

"He had extraordinary accomplishments: he revived many of Britain's inner cities, was responsible for the refurbishment of thousands of council homes, the revival of British shipping, completed the Channel Tunnel Rail Link, established the Coalfield Communities Trust to breathe life back into villages and towns affected by the closure of mines; and was Britain's lead negotiator for the Kyoto climate treaty, the world's first attempt to agree a global response to climate change."

He went on to say that he relied on him when in difficulty and "when I needed someone whose gut instinct I trusted better than my own".

"The truth is for all the difficulties and the differences and the jokes about us both and our 'odd couple relationship', we had developed a genuine admiration, respect and affection for each other," he said.

"Underneath what could be a fierce exterior, and a manner some undoubtedly found intimidating, beat a loving, kind and compassionate human heart. John was as good a friend as you could ever hope to have, with a deep sensitivity, even vulnerability.

"He will deservedly occupy a special place in the pantheon of the Labour leadership; he will be mourned by his many friends and fans around the world and for me personally, today is a day of profound sadness but also immense pride in having known him and worked with him: a great man and great servant of country and party."

Gordon Brown paid tribute on LBC's Nick Ferrari at Breakfast, saying Lord Prescott was a "colossus of the Labour movement".

"There was this uncompromising toughness associated with trade union leadership but John, when you talked to him about things, he was generous, he was warm, he was friendly," he said.

"Of course we had discussions on issues but John always thought you've got to get a conclusion, you've got to get on with it, you've gotta have unity to get things done so I think John will be remembered as a colossus of the Labour movement, a titan.

"John Lennon used to talk about working class heroes and I think John would quite like that title himself because of the way he fought for great causes".

Current PM Keir Starmer said: "I am deeply saddened to hear of the death of John Prescott. John was a true giant of the Labour movement.

"On behalf of the Labour Party, I send my condolences to Pauline and his family, to the city of Hull, and to all those who knew and loved him.

"May he rest in peace."

Karl Turner, the Labour MP for East Hull who succeeded Lord Prescott in Parliament, said his "contribution to public life will never be forgotten".

In a statement posted on X, he said: "John had an unwavering dedication to the people of Hull. Having known John for all of my life, I know first hand the impact that he had on many thousands of people across the city and the country."

He added: "John's legacy will forever be etched in the hearts of those he served and the city he loved."

Former US vice president Al Gore, who worked with him on the Kyoto Protocol climate change agreement in 1997, said he had "never worked with anyone in politics - on my side of the pond or his - quite like John Prescott".

"He possessed an inherent ability to connect with people about the issues that mattered to them - a talent that others spend years studying and cultivating, but that was second nature to him," he said.

"He fought like hell to negotiate the Kyoto Protocol and was an unwavering champion of climate action for decades to come.

"I'm forever grateful to John for that commitment to solving the climate crisis and will miss him as a dear friend."

Ex-Labour frontbencher Peter Hain told LBC News: "He was a larger-than-life figure who connected the party in its New Labour phase under Tony Blair to the grassroots in all sorts of ways.

"People will remember the left hook that he threw at a heckler in the 2001 election and rather took the headlines away from what Labour's campaign wanted to focus on, but that showed his ordinary-ness, he was just an human being.

"A lot of politicians somehow seem different from the people they're representing and John Prescott was very much a man of the people".

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said: "I am deeply saddened by the news of John Prescott passing away and my thoughts and prayers are with his friends and family.

"John Prescott will be remembered as a towering figure in British politics and his unwavering tenacity on the causes he championed should be a lesson to us all.

"His influence on our modern society will still be felt for years to come and his legacy remembered far into the future."