John Prescott: All about UK Deputy PM who died aged 86

John Prescott: colorful British politician who brought working-class credibility to Tony Blair's government, known for his blunt style.

John Prescott was a merchant seaman who dropped out of school but thrived in politics by bringing working-class credibility to the modernising Government of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair as his Deputy.

Mr. Prescott, who died on Wednesday (November 20, 2024) aged 86, had a colourful five-decade career in British politics, becoming one of his most recognisable figures.

His heyday came during his 1997-2007 spell as Deputy Prime Minister in a Blair Government that returned a rebooted version of Labour to power at the height of the "Cool Britannia" craze.

Mr. Blair had abandoned much of Labour's socialist dogma and depended on Mr. Prescott to shore up the financial and political backing the party traditionally received from trade unions.

"We are all middle class now," Mr. Prescott said weeks before Labour claimed the first of an unprecedented three successive general election victories.

But he might be remembered best as the man whose short fuse and verbal slip-ups made "Prezza" a mainstay of the tabloids -- and the butt of Conservative rivals' jokes.

"John is John," Mr. Blair said after Prescott punched a protester angered at Labour's move to ban fox-hunting threw an egg at him during the 2001 general election campaign.