London:

Britain’s former deputy prime minister John Prescott, who served under Tony Blair and helped transform the country’s Labor Party with him, has died at the age of 86, his family said on Thursday. .

“We are deeply saddened to inform you that our beloved husband, father and grandfather, John Prescott, passed away yesterday (Wednesday) at the age of 86,” a statement said.

Blair, the privately educated lawyer who appointed the working-class Prescott to help appease the Labor left as he moved the party into the center ground, said he was “devastated” by Prescott’s death.

He told BBC radio that there was no one like him in British politics.

Keir Starmer, who became the first Labor prime minister since 2010 after winning a general election in July by a landslide, called Prescott “a true giant of the labor movement”.

“He was a staunch defender of working people and a proud trade unionist. During a decade as Deputy Prime Minister, he was one of the key architects of a Labor government that changed the lives of millions of people across the country. “

“So much of John’s work paved the way for those of us fortunate enough to follow. From leading climate negotiations to fighting regional inequality, his legacy lived on well throughout his life. will remain.”

Prescott, a former merchant seaman and trade union activist who served as Member of Parliament for Hull in northern England for four decades, died “peacefully” at a care home, his wife Pauline and two sons said. went

“He did so surrounded by the love of his family and the jazz music of Marian Montgomery,” he added.

Prescott, who was appointed to the House of Lords, suffered a stroke in 2019 and was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. He quit as a member of the Upper House of Parliament in July due to his ill health.

Simply put, Prescott served 10 years as Blair’s deputy after Labour’s landslide in the 1997 general election. During a campaign stop in North Wales he punched a protester who threw an egg at him.

But he also acted as a mediator between Blair and his finance minister, Gordon Brown, who also helped transform Labor in the 1990s and who had designs on power.

Prescott’s brief included key negotiations for the UK on the environment and transport, as well as the international Kyoto Protocol on climate change.

Blair said in a letter to Prescott in 2007 that he saw his role as “smoothing out colleagues and sorting out colleagues and smoothing over problems”.

“Prescott’s completely unique combination of charm and brutality … got you through the decade, kept the government together and, above all, I had a lot of fun. I was lucky to have you as my deputy, He told her.

(Other than the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

(Tag to translate) John Prescott (T) Tony Blair (T) John Prescott 86 (T) Great Britain (T) Great Britain (T) Former Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott has died.



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