Gordon Brown commemorates Prescott
Andrew Sparrow
Good early morning. I’m Andrew Sparrow, replacing Caroline Davies.
The previous head of state Gordon Brown has actually simply gotten on the Today program commemoratingJohn Prescott He claimed:
John was a pal of mine, he was an associate, yet when you think about him, he was a giant, he was a titan of the Labour motion.
John Lennon spoke about functioning course hero. It’s tough to fit that term, yet I assume John would certainly such as that.
You have actually reached check out his accomplishments. He was possibly the very first federal government preacher to see the value of the atmosphere. Kyoto, that ecological treaty in 1997, you have actually reached connect that to John’s effort with Al Gore.
Then he saw the value, and he was a leader of local plan. So the truth we have devolution and mayors owes a good deal to what John was believing ideal throughout the 1980s and 90s when I was dealing with him.
And after that we must not fail to remember that of the wonderful accomplishments of John as atmosphere assistant was the fixing and renovation of real estate, 1.5 m residences which would certainly not have actually been fixed without John’s decision that the social real estate supply needed to be remodernised.
So you have actually reached check out the functional accomplishments of somebody that potentially stunned himself incidentally that he handled to come to be deputy head of state, yet in fact made a big distinction.
Key occasions
Angela Rayner commemorates Prescott, claiming he was ‘motivation to me’
Angela Rayner is commonly contrasted toJohn Prescott They were both raised functioning course, ended up being Labour MPs after operating in the profession union motion and have actually been often patronised or demonised by Tories and the media, partially on the premises of course snobbery. And both wound up replacement PM.
Here is her homage to Prescott.
Through his 50 years of civil service and a years as deputy head of state, John Prescott was driven by his Labour worths to offer functioning individuals.
Fiercely pleased with his functioning course and profession union origins, he never ever forgot that he entered into national politics to offer. He made use of the possibility he was offered to transform the lives of countless functioning individuals.
A titan of the work motion and faithful buddy, he will certainly be born in mind with big desire by all those that understood him.
John was not just a Labour tale yet a motivation to me, and constantly so charitable with his time and assistance.
We will certainly miss him considerably. Our ideas and petitions are with Pauline, David, Johnathan et cetera of the household.
Prescott’s household ask individuals not to send out blossoms yet to contribute to Alzheimer’s Research UK rather
Here is the complete declaration from John Prescott’s household revealing his fatality. Prescott was dealing with Alzheimer’s in his last years and his household have actually asked wellwishers minded to send out blossoms to contribute to Alzheimer’s Research UK rather.
They state:
We are deeply saddened to educate you that our precious spouse, papa and grandpa, John Prescott, died quietly the other day at the age of 86.
He did so bordered by the love of his household and allure songs of Marian Montgomery.
John invested his life attempting to enhance the lives of others, defending social justice and shielding the atmosphere, doing so from his time as a steward on the cruise ship linings to ending up being Britain’s lengthiest offering deputy head of state.
John a lot liked his home of Hull and representing its individuals in parliament for 40 years was his best honour. We want to give thanks to the fantastic NHS physicians and registered nurses that looked after him after his stroke in 2019 and the committed team at the treatment home where he died after more recently dealing with Alzheimer’s.
In lieu of blossoms and if you want to do so, you can contribute to Alzheimer’s Research UK.
As you can visualize, our household requires to refine our despair so we professionally demand time and room to grieve secretive. Thank you.
Here is a John Prescott photo gallery.
Gordon Brown commemorates Prescott
Andrew Sparrow
Good early morning. I’m Andrew Sparrow, replacing Caroline Davies.
The previous head of state Gordon Brown has actually simply gotten on the Today program commemoratingJohn Prescott He claimed:
John was a pal of mine, he was an associate, yet when you think about him, he was a giant, he was a titan of the Labour motion.
John Lennon spoke about functioning course hero. It’s tough to fit that term, yet I assume John would certainly such as that.
You have actually reached check out his accomplishments. He was possibly the very first federal government preacher to see the value of the atmosphere. Kyoto, that ecological treaty in 1997, you have actually reached connect that to John’s effort with Al Gore.
Then he saw the value, and he was a leader of local plan. So the truth we have devolution and mayors owes a good deal to what John was believing ideal throughout the 1980s and 90s when I was dealing with him.
And after that we must not fail to remember that of the wonderful accomplishments of John as atmosphere assistant was the fixing and renovation of real estate, 1.5 m residences which would certainly not have actually been fixed without John’s decision that the social real estate supply needed to be remodernised.
So you have actually reached check out the functional accomplishments of somebody that potentially stunned himself incidentally that he handled to come to be deputy head of state, yet in fact made a big distinction.
Yorkshire has “lost one of its great political heavyweights,” claimed Tracy Brabin, mayor forWest Yorkshire In an article on X she claimed:
Deeply depressing information to come across John Prescott’s death. Yorkshire has actually shed among its wonderful political heavyweights. A real Northerner with unwavering credibility. John’s document represents itself: taking on local inequalities, defending social justice and shielding the atmosphere.
We have to all currently improve his heritage and job relentlessly, as he did, to develop a nation that benefits all.
Lord Prescott’s partner and 2 children claimed he had actually remained in a treatment home lately dealing with Alzheimer’s. Hilary Evans-Newton, president at Alzheimer’s Research UK, claimed:
It’s heartbreaking to listen to that previous replacement head of state, Lord John Prescott, among one of the most noticeable political numbers of our generation, has actually passed away with Alzheimer’s. Our ideas are with his household and liked ones throughout this tough time.
It’s unfortunate the amount of lives are being shed to mental deterioration, the leading reason of fatality in the UK.
We’re extremely relocated by Lord Prescott’s household, that have actually requested for contributions to Alzheimer’s Research UK, instead of blossoms.
As the UK’s leading mental deterioration study charity, we’re increasing development in the direction of a remedy, so no person’s life needs to finish in this manner.
London mayor Sadiq Khan claimed Lord Prescott was a “true giant” of the Labour motion. Khan wrote on X:
Sad to listen to the information regardingJohn Prescott A beautiful male, pleased profession unionist, fantastic advocate and somebody that devoted his entire life to aiding others. The last Labour Government merely could not have actually attained all it did without him. A real titan of the Labour motion.
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey claimed:
I am deeply saddened by the information of John Prescott diing and my ideas and petitions are with his family and friends. John Prescott will certainly be born in mind as an imposing number in British national politics and his undeviating perseverance on the reasons he promoted need to be a lesson to all of us. His impact on our contemporary culture will certainly still be really felt for years ahead and his heritage bore in mind much right into the future.
Recalling the minute John Prescott punched a militant that tossed an egg at him in 2001, Tony Blair informed BBC Radio 4’s Today program that he responded to “well, John is John” at a succeeding interview.
Someone shattered a rally his head, and he showed up, and he reversed, and he punched the person and laid him out.
This triggered a big type of riot, certainly … We needed to offer an interview in the political election project the following day, and some individuals were claiming, well, appearance, he’s deputy head of state – you understand, you can not have a deputy head of state thumping a citizen.
And after that there were other individuals that claimed, yeah, yet you understand … he had this egg banged in his head, and he reversed and whacked the person, and a great deal of individuals assume, well, reasonable sufficient.
A lengthy dispute followed, Blair claimed, including: “Finally, at the press conference, when I was asked about that, I just said, well, John, is John. And so was that supposed to be an answer? I said, Yeah, that’s an answer, that’s as much as you can say.”
Ed Miliband, the power assistant and previous Labour leader claimed Lord Prescott was a “titan of the Labour movement”.
Miliband wrote on X:
I am deeply saddened to come across the fatality ofJohn Prescott He was a titan of the Labour motion, an one-of-a-kind and irreplaceable competitor for justice.
He defended social and financial equal rights all his life, promoted the source of the atmosphere and demonstrated how national politics might transform lives right.
John stood for the very best of Labour worths and I will certainly constantly be happy for the assistance he supplied to me as Labour leader. I prolong my inmost acknowledgements to Pauline, Jonathan and David.
Former Conservative Party leader Lord Hague claimed Lord Prescott was a “formidable debater”.
Posting on X, Hague claimed:
John Prescott was just one of the wonderful numbers of our political period– enthusiastic, faithful, and lively. I will certainly always remember our lots of dynamic exchanges throughout the despatch box. John was an awesome debater, unwavering in his dedication to his worths, and he had an one-of-a-kind capability to talk straight to the issues of individuals he stood for. It was a factor of satisfaction for both people that we came from Rotherham; although it formed us in various methods, we shared a particular bluntness in our exchanges– though in real Yorkshire style, John generally obtained straight to the factor much faster than I did! John’s heritage as a voice for functioning individuals and an unrelenting supporter for Labour will certainly sustain. My ideas are with his household and liked ones at this extremely depressing time.
Sir Tony Blair’s homage proceeded:
I count on him lot of times: when in trouble, under fire; and much less popular when I required somebody whose digestive tract reaction I relied on much better than my very own.
To state we were companions would certainly never ever record the nature of our partnership. There was absolutely nothing official regarding it. We fulfilled and spoke on a regular basis. Rules of procedure were discarded. Debates were had which might be intense. But as soon as ended, the typical line was maintained.
The reality is for all the troubles and the distinctions and the jokes regarding us both and our ‘odd couple relationship’, we had actually created a real appreciation, regard and love for each and every various other.
Underneath what might be a strong outside, and a fashion some certainly discovered frightening, defeat a caring, kind and caring human heart. John was as excellent a pal as you might ever before intend to have, with a deep level of sensitivity, also susceptability.
He will deservedly inhabit an unique area in the pantheon of the Labour management; he will certainly be grieved by his lots of close friends and followers around the globe and for me directly, today is a day of extensive despair yet likewise tremendous satisfaction in having actually recognized him and collaborated with him: an excellent male and wonderful slave of nation and celebration.
Tony Blair ‘ravaged’ by fatality of Prescott
Labour previous head of state Sir Tony Blair claimed he was “devastated” by the fatality of Lord Prescott, and explained his replacement as “one of the most talented people I ever encountered in politics”.
Blair claimed:
Although most of us understood that completion was coming close to and was unpreventable, I am ravaged by John’s death. He was just one of one of the most gifted individuals I ever before came across in national politics; among one of the most fully commited and faithful; and most definitely one of the most uncommon.
There was absolutely nothing regarding John which fitted traditional knowledge. He was from pleased standard functioning course supply yet comprehended intuitively and entirely the desires of that course and their need to much better themselves.
He was liberal and forgiving, yet immediately intolerant of any kind of extremely liberal center course termination of the suffering experienced by bad central city neighborhoods from criminal activity and substance abuse. He might speak in the bluntest and often bluest language, yet it hid a very first price intelligence which indicated he believed as deeply regarding concerns as high as he appreciated them.
It is no overestimation to state the Labour Party might never ever have actually won 3 successive complete terms withoutJohn He was a powerful existence. He stood for the wing of the celebration which was not New Labour, yet he did it in a manner which never ever lowered the performance of our charm and without a doubt prolonged it, expanding the base of our assistance.
He had amazing success: he revitalized most of Britain’s central cities, was in charge of the repair of hundreds of council homes, the rebirth of British delivery, finished the Channel Tunnel Rail Link, developed the Coalfield Communities Trust to take a breath life back right into towns and communities influenced by the closure of mines; and was Britain’s lead mediator for the Kyoto environment treaty, the globe’s very first effort to concur an international reaction to environment adjustment.
Martin Belam
Speaking on the BBC Radio 4 Today program, the BBC’s political editor Chris Mason explained John Prescott as an item of “blunt grit” amongst the “slick middle class polish of New Labour.”
He informed audiences Prescott was “proudly working class, proud of his trade union background, and proud to bind his party’s past with its present.”
Mason priced estimate previous head of state Tony Blair in his memoirs, remembering of Prescott that “he could be maddening, he could be dangerous, he could be absurd, he could be magnificent, [but] never dull, placid, uneventful, forgettable.”
Jon Trickett, the MP for Yorkshire County, composed on X a brief while back:
“John Prescott was a Labour giant. I knew him well. V sad to hear of his passing. Mining communities owe him a debt for settling the enormous claim for industrial injuries. In my constit over 10000 families received compensation which amounted to £100m plus Thank you my mate.”
Here is Keir Starmer’s homage on X completely: He composed:
” I am deeply saddened to come across the fatality of John Prescott.
John was a real titan of the Labour motion. He was a strong protector of functioning individuals and a happy profession unionist. During a years as deputhy Prime Minister, he was just one of the vital designers of a Labour Government that changed the lives of countless individuals throughout the country.
So a lot of John’s job established the course for those people lucky sufficient to comply with. From leading environment arrangements to combating local inequality, his heritage will certainly survive well past his life time.
Across the Labour Party and the union motion he will certainly be born in mind for his sentence, guts and self-control. His enthusiasm, pressure of character and satisfaction in his working-class origins was vital to his credibility– a sincerity that was acknowledged and valued throughout the political divide and throughout the country.
On part of the Labour Party, I send my acknowledgements to Pauline and all his household, to the city of Hull which he functioned as MP for forty years, and to all those that understood and liked him. May he relax in tranquility.