Misplaced Pages

Latest revision as of 12:17, 27 December 2024

The Right HonourableThe Lord Prescott
Official portrait, c. 1997
Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
In office 2 May 1997 – 27 June 2007
Prime Minister	Tony Blair
Preceded by	Michael Heseltine
Succeeded by	Nick Clegg
Deputy Leader of the Labour Party
In office 21 July 1994 – 24 June 2007
Leader	Tony Blair
Preceded by	Margaret Beckett
Succeeded by	Harriet Harman
First Secretary of State
In office 8 June 2001 – 27 June 2007
Prime Minister	Tony Blair
Preceded by	Michael Heseltine
Succeeded by	The Lord Mandelson
Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions
In office 2 May 1997 – 8 June 2001
Prime Minister	Tony Blair
Preceded by	John Gummer (Environment) George Young (Transport)
Succeeded by	Margaret Beckett (Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) Stephen Byers (Transport, Local Government and the Regions)
Member of the House of Lords
Lord Temporal
In office 8 July 2010 – 9 July 2024 Life peerage
Member of Parliament for Kingston upon Hull East
In office 18 June 1970 – 12 April 2010
Preceded by	Harry Pursey
Succeeded by	Karl Turner
Shadow cabinet posts Shadow Secretary of State for Employment In office 21 October 1993 – 21 July 1994 Leader John Smith Margaret Beckett (interim) Preceded by Frank Dobson Succeeded by Harriet Harman In office 26 October 1984 – 13 July 1987 Leader Neil Kinnock Preceded by John Smith Succeeded by Michael Meacher Shadow Secretary of State for Transport In office 23 November 1988 – 21 October 1993 Leader Neil Kinnock John Smith Preceded by Robert Hughes Succeeded by Frank Dobson In office 31 October 1983 – 26 October 1984 Leader Neil Kinnock Preceded by Albert Booth Succeeded by Gwyneth Dunwoody Shadow Secretary of State for Energy In office 13 July 1987 – 23 November 1988 Leader Neil Kinnock Preceded by Stan Orme Succeeded by Tony Blair
Personal details
Born	John Leslie Prescott (1938-05-31)31 May 1938 Prestatyn, Wales
Died	20 November 2024(2024-11-20) (aged 86)
Political party	Labour
Spouse	Pauline Tilston ​(m. 1961)​
Children	2
Education	Ruskin College
Alma mater	University of Hull
Signature
John Prescott's voice Prescott briefs the European Parliament on the results of the Kyoto Conference on Climate Change Recorded 17 February 1998

Part of the Politics series
Republicanism
Concepts Anti-monarchism Anti-corruption Civic virtue Civil society Consent of the governed Democracy Democratization Liberty as non-domination Mixed government Political representation Popular sovereignty Public participation Republic Res publica Rule of law Self-governance Separation of powers Social contract Social equality
Schools Classical Federal Kemalism Khomeinism Modern Nasserism Neo-republicanism Venizelism
Types Autonomous Capitalist Christian Democratic Federal Imperial Islamic Maritime Parliamentary Peasant People's Revolutionary Secular Sister Soviet
Philosophers Arendt Baggini Bello Bentham Bodin Cattaneo Chappell Cicero Condorcet Crick Franklin Harrington Honderich Jefferson Kant Locke Machiavelli Madison Mazzini Mill Montesquieu Paine Pettit Polybius Rousseau Sandel Sidney Sunstein Tocqueville Warburton Wollstonecraft
Politicians Adams (Gerry) Adams (John) Atatürk Azaña Bartley Benn Bennett Bolívar Chapman Clark (Katy) Clarke (Tom) Connolly Cromwell Davidson Drakeford Etherington Fabiani Ferguson Flynn Gambetta Garibaldi de Gaulle Grévy Griffith Griffiths Harvie Hatton Hébert Hopkins Huppert Iorwerth Jackson Jay Jefferson Jones (Elin) Jones (Lynne) Juárez Kane Khomeini La Malfa Lewis Lincoln Lucas Mackay Mackenzie Madison Magid Mannin McDonnell McKechin Mullin Nandy Naysmith Nehru Pound Prescott Ritchie Robespierre Sayed Skates Skinner Slater Slaughter Smith Spadolini Sun Taverne Venizelos Wilson Wood
Theoretical works Republic (c. 375 BC) De re publica (54–51 BC) Discourses on Livy (1531) The Tenure of Kings and Magistrates (1649) The Commonwealth of Oceana (1656) Discourses Concerning Government (1698) The Spirit of Law (1748) Discourse on Inequality (1755) The Social Contract (1762) The Federalist Papers (1787–1788) Rights of Man (1791) Perpetual Peace: A Philosophical Sketch (1794) Democracy in America (1835–1840) On Revolution (1963)
History Roman Republic Gaṇasaṅgha Classical Athens Republic of Venice Republic of Genoa Republic of Florence Dutch Republic American Revolution French Revolution Spanish American wars of independence Trienio Liberal French Revolution of 1848 5 October 1910 revolution Chinese Revolution Russian Revolution German Revolution of 1918–1919 Turkish War of Independence Mongolian Revolution of 1921 11 September 1922 Revolution 1935 Greek coup d'état attempt Spanish Civil War 1946 Italian institutional referendum 1952 Egyptian revolution 14 July Revolution North Yemen Civil War Zanzibar Revolution 1969 Libyan coup d'état 1970 Cambodian coup d'état Metapolitefsi Iranian Revolution 1987 Fijian coups d'état Nepalese Civil War Barbadian Republic Proclamation
National variants Antigua and Barbuda Australia Bahamas Barbados Canada Ireland Jamaica Japan Morocco Netherlands New Zealand Norway Spain Sweden United Kingdom Scotland Wales United States
Related topics Classical radicalism Common good Communitarianism Criticism of monarchy Egalitarianism The Emperor's New Clothes Jacobinism Liberalism List of republics Monarchism Peasant republic Primus inter pares Republic without republicans Republican empire Republican Party
Politics portal
v t e

John Leslie Prescott, Baron Prescott (31 May 1938 – 20 November 2024) was a British politician who served as Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and as First Secretary of State from 2001 to 2007. A member of the Labour Party, he was Member of Parliament (MP) for Kingston upon Hull East for 40 years, from 1970 to 2010. He was often seen as the political link to the working class in a Labour Party increasingly led by modernising, middle-class professionals such as Tony Blair and Peter Mandelson (although Prescott described himself as "pretty middle class"), and developed a reputation as a key conciliator in the often fractious relationship between Blair and Gordon Brown.

Born in Prestatyn, Wales, in his youth Prescott failed the eleven-plus entrance exam for grammar school and worked as a ship's steward and trade union activist. He went on to graduate from Ruskin College and the University of Hull. In the 1994 Labour Party leadership election, he stood for both the leadership and deputy leadership, winning election to the latter office. He was appointed deputy prime minister after Labour's victory in the 1997 election, with an expanded brief as Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions until 2001, then subsequently as First Secretary of State until 2007. In June 2007, he resigned as deputy prime minister, coinciding with Blair's resignation as prime minister. Following an election within the Labour Party, he was replaced as deputy leader by Harriet Harman.

After retiring as a member of Parliament at the 2010 general election, Prescott was made a life peer and sat in the House of Lords until 2024. He stood unsuccessfully as the Labour candidate in the 2012 election to be the first police and crime commissioner for Humberside Police. Prescott resigned from the Privy Council in 2013 in protest against delays to the introduction of press regulation, of which he had become a proponent. In February 2015, he briefly returned to politics as an adviser to Labour leader Ed Miliband.

Early life

Prescott was born in Prestatyn, Wales, on 31 May 1938 to John Herbert ("Bert") Prescott and Phyllis, née Parrish. Prescott's father was a railway signalman, Justice of the Peace, and Labour councillor. His family won a competition to find the "most typical British family of 1951". In 2009, he said: "I've always felt very proud of Wales and being Welsh ... I was born in Wales, went to school in Wales and my mother was Welsh. I'm Welsh. It's my place of birth, my country." He left Wales in 1942 at the age of four and was brought up initially in Brinsworth, Rotherham, in the West Riding of Yorkshire, England. He attended Brinsworth Manor School, where in 1949 he sat but failed the 11-Plus examination to attend Rotherham Grammar School. Shortly afterwards, his family moved to Upton-by-Chester, and he attended Grange Secondary Modern School in nearby Ellesmere Port.

Prescott became a steward and waiter in the Merchant Navy, working for Cunard, and was a popular left-wing union activist. Prescott's time in the Merchant Navy included a cruise from England to New Zealand in 1957. Among the passengers was a former prime minister, Anthony Eden, recuperating after his resignation over the Suez Crisis. Prescott reportedly described Eden as a "real gentleman". Apart from serving Eden, who stayed in his cabin much of the time, Prescott also won several boxing contests, at which Eden presented the prizes. He married Pauline "Tilly" Tilston at Upton Church in Chester on 11 November 1961. He then went to Ruskin College, which specialises in courses for union officials, where he gained a diploma in economics and politics in 1965. In 1968, he obtained a BSc degree in economics and economic history from the University of Hull.

Member of Parliament

Prescott returned to the National Union of Seamen as a full-time official before being elected to the House of Commons as Member of Parliament (MP) for Kingston upon Hull East in 1970, succeeding Commander Harry Pursey, the retiring Labour MP, and defeating the Conservative challenger Norman Lamont. He had previously attempted to become MP for Southport in 1966, but came in second place, approximately 9,500 votes behind the Conservative candidate. From July 1975 to 1979, he concurrently served as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) and Leader of the Labour Group, when its members were nominated by the national Parliaments. In 1988 Prescott and Eric Heffer challenged Roy Hattersley for the deputy leadership of the party, but Hattersley was re-elected as deputy leader. Prescott stood again in the 1992 deputy leadership election, following Hattersley's retirement, but lost to Margaret Beckett.

Prescott held various posts in Labour's shadow cabinet, but his career was secured by an impassioned closing speech in the debate at the Labour Party Conference in 1993 on the introduction of "one member, one vote" for the selection and reselection of Labour Parliamentary candidates that helped swing the vote in favour of this reform. In 1994 Prescott was a candidate in the party leadership election that followed the death of leader John Smith, standing for the positions of both leader and deputy leader. Tony Blair won the leadership contest, with Prescott being elected deputy leader.

Deputy Prime Minister

With the formation of a Labour government in 1997, Prescott was made Deputy Prime Minister and given a very large portfolio as the head of the newly created Department for Environment, Transport and the Regions. In the United Kingdom, the title of Deputy Prime Minister is used only occasionally, and confers no constitutional powers (in which it is similar to the pre-20th century usage of Prime Minister). The deputy prime minister stands in when the prime minister is unavailable, most visibly at Prime Minister's Questions, and Prescott attended various Heads of Government meetings on behalf of Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Since the position of deputy prime minister draws no salary, Prescott's remuneration was based on his position as Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions until 2001. This "super department" was then broken up, with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Department for Transport established as separate entities. Prescott, still deputy prime minister, was also given the largely honorific title of First Secretary of State. In July 2001 an Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) was created to administer the areas remaining under his responsibility. This was originally part of the Cabinet Office, but became a department in its own right in May 2002, when it absorbed some of the responsibilities of the former Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions. The ODPM had responsibility for local and regional government, housing, communities and the fire service.

Environment, Transport and the Regions

Environment

The UK played a major role in the successful negotiations on the Kyoto Protocol on climate change and Prescott led the UK delegation at the discussions. In May 2006, in recognition of his work in delivering the Kyoto Treaty, Tony Blair asked him to work with the Foreign Secretary and the Environment Secretary on developing the Government's post-Kyoto agenda.

As minister on 24 August 1999, Prescott made regulations banning the use of chrysotile asbestos, which resulted in a complete ban on the use of any products containing asbestos in the United Kingdom from 24 November 1999.

Integrated transport policy

On coming to office, Prescott pursued an integrated public transport policy. On 6 June 1997, he said: "I will have failed if in five years time there are not...far fewer journeys by car. It's a tall order but I urge you to hold me to it." However, by June 2002, car traffic was up by 7%. This prompted Friends of the Earth's Tony Bosworth to say "By its own test, Government transport policy has failed".

Prescott successfully focused attention on the role of car usage in the bigger environmental picture, and the need for effective public transport alternatives if car volume was to be reduced. The subsequent debate on road pricing evolved from his policy. A contrast was highlighted between Prescott's transport brief and an incident, in 1999, when an official chauffeur-driven car was used to transport Prescott and his wife 250 yards (230 m) from their hotel to the venue of the Labour Party Conference, where Prescott gave a speech on how to encourage the use of public transport. Prescott explained, "Because of the security reasons for one thing and second, my wife doesn't like to have her hair blown about. Have you got another silly question?" Prescott was fined for speeding on four occasions.

Rail regulation

Prescott had a stormy relationship with the privatisation of the railway industry. He had vigorously opposed the privatisation of the industry while the Labour Party was in opposition, and disliked the party's policy, established in 1996 just before the flotation of Railtrack on the London Stock Exchange, of committing to renationalise the industry only when resources allowed, which he saw as meaning that it would never be done. Reluctantly, he supported the alternative policy, produced by shadow transport secretary Clare Short, that the industry should be subjected to closer regulation by the to-be-created Strategic Rail Authority in the case of the passenger train operators, and the Rail Regulator in the case of the monopoly and dominant elements in the industry, principally Railtrack. The policy was spelled out in some detail in the Labour Party's statement in the June 1996 prospectus for the sale of Railtrack shares, and was widely regarded as having depressed the price of the shares.

In 1998, Prescott was criticised by Transport Minister John Reid for his statement – at the Labour Party conference that year – that the privatised railway was a "national disgrace", despite receiving a standing ovation from the Labour Party audience. The companies said that they had had some considerable successes in cutting costs and generating new revenues in the short time since their transfer to private sector hands, and that the criticisms were premature and unfair.

In that speech, Prescott also announced that he would be taking a far tougher line with the companies, and to that end he would be having a "spring clean" of the industry. In July 1998 Prescott published a transport White Paper stating that the rail industry needed an element of stability and certainty if it was to plan its activities effectively.

In February 1999, the regulation of the passenger rail operators fell to Sir Alastair Morton, who Prescott announced would be appointed as chairman of the Strategic Rail Authority, which would take over from the Director of Passenger Rail Franchising whose office would be wound up. In July 1999, the new Rail Regulator appointed by Prescott was Tom Winsor. They shared Prescott's view that the railway industry needed a considerable shake-up in its institutional, operational, engineering and economic matrix to attract and retain private investment and enable the companies within it to become strong, competent and successful.

Local and regional government

Prescott, responsible for local government, introduced a new system guiding members' conduct after 2001. The new system included a nationally agreed Code of Conduct laid down by statutory instrument which all local authorities were required to adopt; the Code of Conduct gives guidance on when councillors have an interest in a matter under discussion and when that interest is prejudicial so that the councillor may not speak or vote on the matter. Although on many areas councillors had previously been expected to withdraw where they had declared an interest, the new system was more formal and introduced specific sanctions for breaches; it was criticised for preventing councillors from representing the views of their local communities.

Prescott supported regional government in England. Early in his term, he introduced regional assemblies consisting of delegates from local authorities and other regional stakeholders to oversee the work of new Regional Development Agencies in the regions of England. Following Labour's second election victory, he pressed for the introduction of elected regional assemblies, which would have seen about 25 to 35 members elected under a similar electoral system to that used for the London Assembly. However, because of opposition, the government was forced to hold regional referendums on the change. The first three were intended to be in the North-East, North-West and Yorkshire and the Humber. The North-East referendum, where support was felt to be strongest, was first, in November 2004, but the vote was 78% against, an overwhelming margin, and the plan for elected regional assemblies was shelved.

Housing

A rising number of households (especially in the south-east) were putting added pressure on housing during Prescott's tenure as the minister responsible. An increase in the housebuilding was proposed, primarily on brownfield sites, but also on some undeveloped greenfield areas and as a result he was accused of undermining the Green Belt. During a radio interview in January 1998, Prescott was asked about housing development on the green belt; intending to convey that the government would enlarge green belt protection, Prescott replied: "It's a Labour achievement, and we mean to build on it". He had not intended to make a joke and was distressed when it prompted laughter.

In the north of England, Prescott approved the demolition of some 200,000 homes that were judged to be in "failing areas" as part of his Pathfinder regeneration scheme. It has been argued that renovating properties, rather than demolishing them, would have made better financial and community sense.

Prescott led the campaign to abolish council housing, which ran out of steam when tenants in Birmingham voted to stay with the council in 2002. A previous attempt to privatise all the council housing in the London Borough of Camden failed in 1997.

Opposition to education reforms

On 17 December 2005, Prescott made public his disapproval of Tony Blair's plans to give state schools the right to govern their finances and admission policies and to increase the number of city academies. It was the first policy stance that Prescott had made against Blair since his election as leader in 1994. Prescott said that the move would create a two-tier educational system that would discriminate against the working class. He added that Labour were "always better fighting class".

Links with the grass roots

Prescott, sometimes described as old-school trades unionist, kept in touch with the views of the traditional Labour voters throughout his career. He became an important figure in Tony Blair's "New Labour" movement, as the representative of 'old Labour' interests in the Shadow cabinet and subsequently around the Cabinet table as Deputy Prime Minister.

However, now a member of the establishment, relationships with the grass roots were not always smooth. Whilst attending the Brit Awards in 1998, Chumbawamba vocalist Danbert Nobacon poured a jug of iced water over Prescott, saying, "This is for the Liverpool Dockers". Dock workers in Liverpool had been involved in a two-year industrial dispute: a strike that had turned into a lock-out, until a few weeks earlier. A reporter from the Daily Mirror threw water over Nobacon the following day.

Abolition of department

In a Cabinet reshuffle on 5 May 2006, Prescott's departmental responsibilities were transferred to Ruth Kelly, as Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, following revelations about his private life and a poor performance by Labour in that year's local elections. He remained as Deputy Prime Minister, with a seat in the Cabinet, and was given a role as a special envoy to the Far East as well as additional responsibilities chairing cabinet committees. Despite having lost his departmental responsibilities it was announced that he would retain his full salary (£134,000pa) and pension entitlements, along with both his grace-and-favour homes, an announcement which received considerable criticism.

The press speculated in July 2006 that, as a consequence of the continuing problems centred on Prescott, Blair was preparing to replace him as Deputy Prime Minister with David Miliband, whilst possibly retaining Prescott as Deputy Leader of the Labour Party.

Announcement of retirement

In a speech to the 2006 Labour Party Conference in Manchester, Prescott apologised for the bad press he had caused the party during the previous year. He said: "I know in the last year I let myself down, I let you down. So Conference, I just want to say sorry", and confirmed that he would stand down as deputy leader when Blair resigned the premiership. Prescott subsequently announced in the House of Commons that he was "... in a rather happy demob stage", in January 2007.

Within 30 minutes of Blair announcing the date of his resignation on 10 May 2007, Prescott announced his resignation as Deputy Leader of the Labour Party. During the subsequent special Labour Party Conference, Gordon Brown was elected Leader and Harriet Harman succeeded Prescott as Deputy Leader.

Life after government

Following his resignation from the government, Prescott took over from Tony Lloyd as the lead UK Representative in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. In a jocular response to the appointment, Shadow Europe Minister Mark Francois wished the translators good luck. The post was unpaid but had an expenses allowance and allowed him to sit on the Assembly of the Western European Union. He used his role on the council to make his campaign against slave labour a key issue.

Prescott stood down as an MP at the next general election. His autobiography, Prezza, My Story: Pulling no Punches was published on 29 May 2008 and ghostwritten by Hunter Davies. During the 2010 general election campaign, Prescott toured the UK in a customised white transit van dubbed his "Battlebus" canvassing support for the Labour Party. Prescott was publicly very supportive of Gordon Brown, and called him a "global giant".

It was announced on 28 May 2010 that Prescott was to be awarded a life peerage, The peerage was gazetted on 15 June in the 2010 Dissolution Honours. He was introduced into the House on 8 July as Baron Prescott, of Kingston upon Hull in the County of East Yorkshire, and the Letters patent were gazetted on 12 July, dated 7 July.

Prescott was a director of Super League rugby league club Hull Kingston Rovers, who are based in his former constituency of Kingston upon Hull East. Prescott ran for Labour Party Treasurer in September 2010 but was defeated by Diana Holland, who took 68.96% of the total vote.

On 30 July 2010, Prescott appeared before the panel at the Chilcot Inquiry concerning the Iraq War. Prescott stated that he was doubtful about the legality, intelligence and information about Iraq's Weapons of Mass Destruction. The inquiry was launched by Gordon Brown in the summer of 2009 shortly after operations in the war ended. In 2016, after publication of the resultant Chilcot Report, which was critical of the war but remained neutral on its legality, Prescott declared that the invasion by UK and US forces had been "illegal" and that members of Tony Blair's Cabinet "were given too little paper documentation to make decisions".

In February 2012, Prescott announced he would stand for Labour's nomination in the election to be the first Police and crime commissioner for Humberside Police. In June he was selected as the Labour candidate for the election in November 2012. In the November election Prescott won the most first preference votes but ended up losing to Conservative Matthew Grove in the second count.

In March 2013, Prescott suggested that the Queen, Elizabeth II, should abdicate due to her health. Prescott was criticised for his position by several MPs.

On 6 July 2013, Prescott revealed in a newspaper column that he had resigned from the Privy Council in protest against the delays to the introduction of press regulation. The resignation only became effective on 6 November the same year. The Coalition Government had insisted that the Privy Council must consider a cross-party Royal Charter to underpin a new system of regulation, but that this meant that a final decision would not be taken before 2015.

On 21 February 2015, it was announced Prescott would return to politics as an adviser to Labour leader Ed Miliband. This was a brief return, as Labour lost the imminent general election.

In October 2015, Prescott was presented with the Shechtman International Leadership Award at the Sustainable Industrial Processing Summit 2015 in Antalya, Turkey, for his contributions to sustainable development in politics.

Prescott ceased to be a member of the House of Lords on 9 July 2024 under the House of Lords Reform Act 2014 because of non-attendance in the preceding session of Parliament. He retained his peerage.

Television appearances

In June 2008, Prescott made a cameo appearance, playing a policeman, in the BBC Radio 4 adaptation of Robert Tressell's The Ragged-Trousered Philanthropists. In 2009, he made a brief cameo appearance as himself in the final episode of the BBC Three comedy series Gavin & Stacey (this referred to a running joke in the show regarding a relationship the character Nessa had had with him many years previously). Beginning on 7 January 2011, Prescott appeared in a TV advert for price comparison website moneysupermarket.com, along with comedian Omid Djalili, which gently mocks events in his political career. On 27 February 2011, he appeared on the BBC's Top Gear as the "Star in the Reasonably Priced Car", where he set a lap time of 1.56.7, the second slowest in a Kia Ceed. He also engaged in a discussion with host Jeremy Clarkson regarding his time in Government.

In October and November 2008, Prescott was the subject of a two-part documentary, Prescott: the Class System and Me, on BBC Two, looking at the class system in Britain, and asking whether it still exists. In 2009, he featured in the BBC Wales TV series Coming Home about his Welsh family history, with roots in Prestatyn and Chirk. In October 2009, he was featured in another BBC Two documentary, Prescott: The North/South Divide, in which he and his wife Pauline explored the current state of the North-South Divide from their perspective as Northern Englanders long used to living in the south of the country.

In April 2015 Prescott appeared as a guest on the television panel show Have I Got News For You. During the episode he had a "pretty heated" interaction with team captain Ian Hislop.

In 2019, Prescott hosted the television series Made in Yorkshire (also known as Made in Britain: Yorkshire) for Channel 5, in which he explored the manufacturing of some of Britain's favourite foods.

Public profile

Prescott gained a reputation in the press for confused speech, mangled syntax and poor grammar. The Guardian columnist Simon Hoggart once commented: "Every time Prescott opens his mouth, it's like someone has flipped open his head and stuck in an egg whisk." An oft-quoted but unverified story in Jeremy Paxman's The Political Animal is that, before being accepted as transcribers to the Parliamentary record Hansard, applicants must listen to one of Prescott's speeches and write down what they think he was trying to say. However, Liz Davies wrote that on the Labour National Executive Committee, Prescott "spoke in clear, concise sentences and his point was always understandable. Contrary to his television and parliamentary image, he appears to choose his words with care."

The media attached various sobriquets to Prescott during his political career. Originally, Prescott's nickname was "Prezza", but as various misfortunes befell him the sobriquets became more colourful, leading to "Two Jags", which set the template for later nicknames. Prescott owned one Jaguar, and had the use of another as his official ministerial car. A later version of this term was "Two Jabs", following his retaliation against a protester farmer in 2001, and "Two Shacks", referring to his former country house. When he lost his department in a cabinet reshuffle following exposure of his affair, newspapers dubbed him "Two Shags" and "No Jobs". Banned from driving after being convicted of speeding in 1991, Prescott was banned again after a similar conviction in June 2015.

'Prescott punch'

During the 2001 election campaign, Prescott was campaigning in Rhyl, Denbighshire, when Craig Evans threw an egg at him. Prescott, a former amateur boxer, responded immediately with a left jab punch to the jaw. The incident, overshadowing the launch of the Labour Party manifesto on that day, was captured by television cameras. Tony Blair responded by stating: "John is John". A National Opinion Polls (NOP) survey found that the incident did no public harm to Prescott, and may even have benefited his standing amongst male voters. Speaking on Top Gear, Prescott stated: "I was against fox-hunting, and he thought I was one of the guys he hated because I wanted to keep fox-hunting". He elaborated:

When I walked past this guy, and he hit me with the egg, right, I don't know it was an egg, I just feel this very warm thing running down my neck and I think, well I just think somebody's perhaps knifed me or assaulted me, you know, that all happens in a split second, and I see this fellow built like a bloody barn door, and I turned, and I reacted, and when Tony asked me, er, what happened I said I was carrying out his orders; he told us to connect with the electorate, so I did.

— John Prescott

This incident earned Prescott the nickname "Two Jabs", a reference to his existing nickname, "Two Jags".

Council tax

In 2003, Prescott gave up a home that he had rented from the RMT Union in Clapham; he had left the union in June 2002. Prescott paid £220 a month for the property – a fifth of its market value. Though he had not declared the flat in the register of members' interests, he was subsequently exonerated by MPs who overruled Elizabeth Filkin, the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards. On 12 January 2006, Prescott apologised after it was revealed that the council tax for the government flat he occupied at Admiralty House was paid from public money, rather than his private income. He repaid the amount, which came to £3,830.52 over nearly nine years.

Sexual infidelity

Prescott came under fire for additional controversies over sexual infidelity. On 26 April 2006, he admitted to having had an affair with his diary secretary, Tracey Temple, between 2002 and 2004. This two-year affair was said to have commenced after an office party and, in part, took place during meetings at Prescott's grace-and-favour flat in Whitehall. Conservative MP Andrew Robathan tabled questions in the House of Commons over Prescott's reported entertainment of Temple at Dorneywood, his official residence, which raised questions over the possible misuse of public finances.

Sexual assault allegation

On 7 May 2006, The Sunday Times quoted Linda McDougall, wife of Austin Mitchell, as saying that in 1978 Prescott had pushed her "quite forcefully" against a wall and put his hand up her skirt as she opened the door for him to a meeting in her own house just after her husband became an MP.

Expenses claims

On 8 May 2009, The Daily Telegraph began publishing leaked details of MPs' expenses. The Telegraph reported that Prescott had claimed £312 for fitting mock Tudor beams to his constituency home, and for two new toilet seats in as many years. Prescott responded by saying, "Every expense was within the rules of the House of Commons on claiming expenses at the time".

Other incidents

Prescott was criticised for maintaining the benefits of Deputy Prime Minister despite losing his department in 2006. He was criticised for visiting the American billionaire Phil Anschutz who was bidding for the government licence to build a super casino in the UK, and questioned over his involvement in the business of his son Johnathan Prescott. He was photographed playing croquet at Dorneywood, his then "grace and favour" home, when Tony Blair was out of the country on a visit to Washington. Prescott was mocked in the media – in part because the game was so divorced from his working-class roots – and he gave up the use of the house. He later said that it had been his staff's idea to play croquet and that contrary to press reports, he had not been Acting Prime Minister when he had played the game.

Personal life, illness and death

Prescott married Pauline Tilston in 1961. They had two sons. Their younger son, David Prescott, is active in Labour Party politics and works in the office of former party leader Jeremy Corbyn; he failed to be selected for his father's parliamentary seat in Hull but was the Labour candidate for Gainsborough in 2015. Tilston had already had a son by an American airman in the 1950s, whom she gave up for adoption. In an episode of Desert Island Discs broadcast in February 2012, Prescott said he acknowledged Pauline's first son as part of his family, a third son.

Prescott disclosed in 2002 that he had been diagnosed with diabetes in 1990. He was briefly hospitalised in June 2007, diagnosed with pneumonia, and treated at University College Hospital, London. In 2008, Prescott recounted having suffered from the eating disorder bulimia nervosa, which he believed was brought on by stress, from the 1980s until 2007. Prescott was admitted to Hull Royal Infirmary in June 2019 after a stroke. He subsequently returned to his duties, but spoke in the House of Lords on only one subsequent occasion and last voted in February 2023. He ceased to be a member of the House of Lords in July 2024 due to non-attendance.

Prescott died on 20 November 2024, aged 86; his family said that he had been living in a care home with Alzheimer's disease. Blair and Brown paid tribute, along with incumbent prime minister Keir Starmer and incumbent deputy prime minister Angela Rayner.

Publications

• Prescott, John (2008). Prezza: My Story: Pulling No Punches. London: Headline Review. ISBN 978-0-7553-1775-2. OCLC 212431550.

Notes

1. Office not in use from 27 June 2007 to 11 May 2010
2. Office not in use from 2 May 1997 to 8 June 2001
3. Office not in use from 27 June 2007 to 5 June 2009
4. ^ Sir Alastair Morton left office, early, in October 2001. Tom Winsor continued until the end of his five-year term in July 2004.
5. Prescott's lap was made in very wet conditions. The slowest lap time, made by Damian Lewis, was in heavy snow, which made the lap time much slower (2:09.1, about 12 seconds slower than Prescott's).

References

1. John Rentoul (12 April 1996). "Prescott declares for middle classes". The Independent. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
2. O'Grady, Sean (19 May 2001). "John Prescott: A street-fighting man". The Independent. London. Retrieved 7 September 2011.
3. ^ Lewis, Roger (27 February 2011). "Smile Though Your Heart is Breaking by Pauline Prescott: review". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 4 November 2011. Retrieved 7 September 2011.
4. "BBC-North East Wales public life -John Prescott". BBC. February 2009. Archived from the original on 28 December 2009. Retrieved 7 September 2011.
5. ^ Brooks, Libby (16 July 1999). "Prescott's father explains family feud". The Guardian.
6. Prezza- My Story: Pulling No Punches, John Prescott, Headline Review, 2008, p. 8
7. "She was a positive force for good". 24 April 2003.
8. Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage, 2019, Debrett's Ltd, 2020, p. 4034
9. White, Michael (19 August 2004). "The Guardian profile: John Prescott". The Guardian.
10. "The John Prescott story". BBC News. 15 November 2012. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
11. "John Prescott learns of incest among his Welsh ancestors". WalesOnline. Media Wales Ltd. 30 November 2009. Archived from the original on 3 December 2009. Retrieved 1 December 2009.
12. Chester Chronicle (20 September 2016). "Former Chester school boy John Prescott slams grammar school plans". CheshireLive. Retrieved 23 April 2022.
13. "Prescott at Your Service". BBC Radio 4. 31 January 2007. Archived from the original on 2 February 2007.
14. ^ Grimley, Naomi (25 January 2007). "When Prescott served Eden". BBC News. Archived from the original on 31 March 2007. Retrieved 25 January 2009.
15. Brown, Colin (29 April 2006). "Pauline Prescott: Wounded party". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 2 March 2011. Retrieved 17 November 2009.
16. Criddle, Byron (2005) The Almanac of British Politics, Routledge, pp. 494–495
17. ^ "Lord Prescott". 4 September 2010. Archived from the original on 4 September 2010.
18. Hattersley, Roy (25 September 1997). "There is No Alternative". The Guardian. ProQuest 245169723.
19. "Bilateral Meeting of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland with the Deputy Prime Minister of Great Britain". The Chancellery of the Prime Minister (Poland). 16 May 2005. Archived from the original on 7 March 2006.
20. Gay, Oonagh (22 May 2006). The office of Deputy Prime Minister (PDF) (Report). House of Commons Library. SN/PC/04023. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 June 2006.
21. Fifth report: DEPARTMENTAL ANNUAL REPORT AND ESTIMATES 2002 (Report). House of Commons, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister: Housing, Planning, Local Government and the Regions. 11 March 2003.
22. Brown, Paul (1 June 2002). "Hopes for Kyoto rise after Japan and EU ratify treaty". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 26 August 2013. Retrieved 1 October 2008.
23. Habberley, Stephen (1 June 2006). "Prescott's highs and lows". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 28 February 2014. Retrieved 1 October 2008.
24. "John Leslie Prescott". 10 Downing Street. Archived from the original on 10 January 2006. Retrieved 13 January 2006.
25. "White Asbestos ban is set to beat European deadline". Construction News. 26 August 1999. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
26. "The British Asbestos Newsletter". www.britishasbestosnewsletter.org (36). Autumn 1999. Archived from the original on 25 November 2021. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
27. "ENVIRONMENT, TRANSPORT AND THE REGIONS, RELATING TO TRANSPORT The Secretary of State was asked". Hansard. 20 October 1998. Archived from the original on 22 September 2017. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
28. "Transport policy fails the Prescott test" (Press release). Friends of the Earth. 6 June 2002. Archived from the original on 9 January 2009.
29. "Prescott walks it like he talks it". BBC News. 30 September 1999. Archived from the original on 1 July 2012. Retrieved 31 January 2012.
30. "80mph Prescott fined". The Sunday Times. 5 January 1997. p. 2.
31. Patrick, Guy (5 January 1997). "Cops nick speeding Prescott". News of the World. p. 9.
32. ^ Hewitt, Sam (11 September 2018). "The Great Railway Debate: Should Britain's railways be re-nationalised". Railway Magazine.
33. "Trains a 'national disgrace'". BBC News. 1 October 1998. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
34. Glaister, Stephen (16–17 September 2004). OCCASIONAL PAPER 23: BRITISH RAIL PRIVATISATION ~ COMPETITION DESTROYED BY POLITICS (PDF). Competencia en el Transporte Ferroviari', conference in Madrid. Centre for the Study of Regulated Industries, University of Bath. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 February 2016.
35. Anderson, Graham (8 October 1998). "Prescott gives signal for rail improvement". Construction News. Archived from the original on 13 January 2020. Retrieved 19 February 2014.
36. Department for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, A new deal for transport: better for everyone, Cm 3950, July 1998, para 4.22
37. "Railways Bill , House of Commons Debate cc789-893". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 19 July 1999. Archived from the original on 4 June 2016. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
38. Booker, Christopher (26 February 2006). "Christopher Booker's notebook". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 11 September 2012. Retrieved 1 October 2008.
39. "Prescott gives strongest backing to regional assemblies". Local Government Chronicle. 25 January 1999. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
40. Mulholland, Hélène (5 November 2004). "North-east voters reject regional assembly". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
41. Morris, Nigel (9 November 2004). "Prescott asked to apologise for referendum". The Independent. Archived from the original on 8 July 2022. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
42. "Labour homes policy comes under fire". BBC News. 27 January 1998. Archived from the original on 8 September 2017. Retrieved 31 January 2012.
43. "MPs criticise Prescott's 'vague' building policy". BBC News. 30 July 1998. Archived from the original on 21 July 2004. Retrieved 31 January 2012.
44. "Prescott under pressure over housing". BBC News. 13 October 1999. Archived from the original on 8 September 2017. Retrieved 31 January 2012.
45. "Tories pledge to protect greenbelt". BBC News. 30 April 2001. Archived from the original on 8 September 2017. Retrieved 31 January 2012.
46. "Passing comment – Quote". The Times. 31 January 1998. p. 8.
47. Oppenheim, Phillip (11 July 1999). "Deputy Prescott, a son of a gun but one of a dangerous breed". The Sunday Times. p. 16.
48. Clover, Charles (16 May 2005). "Has John Prescott got his sums right?". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 24 March 2014. Retrieved 13 February 2014.
49. Defend Council Housing. "Who has voted NO". Archived from the original on 3 February 2016. List, last entry November 2008.
50. Defend Council Housing (2004). "Camden Tenants Vote 7[7]% No to ALMO". Archived from the original on 5 February 2016. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
51. Elliot, Francis (17 December 2005). "Prescott hits out over 'great danger' from Blair's school reforms". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 11 November 2012. Retrieved 1 October 2008.
52. Hennessy, Patrick; Kite, Melissa (19 December 2005). "Class war: Prescott attacks Blair's education reforms and Cameron's 'Eton Mafia'". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 18 September 2012. Retrieved 1 October 2008.
53. Holton, Kate (21 November 2024). "John Prescott: the bridge who connected old and new Labour for UK's Tony Blair". Reuters.
54. "John Prescott obituary: Politician who played role in Labour comeback". BBC News. 21 November 2024. Archived from the original on 21 November 2024. Retrieved 22 November 2024.
55. Crerar, Pippa (21 November 2024). "How John Prescott used humour and grit to unite old and New Labour". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 22 November 2024.
56. "Soaked Prescott Rages at Pop Band". Evening Standard. 10 February 1998. Archived from the original on 30 December 2003. Retrieved 7 December 2003.
57. "Four claret gold! Burnley's soccer-mad pop anarchists who fly first-class". Lancashire Evening Telegraph. 3 June 1998. Archived from the original on 28 September 2007.
58. Oakeshott, Isabel (7 May 2006). "Prescott the predator keeps his spoils". The Sunday Times. London.
59. "Blair outlines new Prescott role". BBC News. 17 May 2006. Archived from the original on 27 June 2006. Retrieved 7 June 2010.
60. Barnett, Antony (6 May 2006). "Prescott pension pot to be £1.5m". The Observer. London. Archived from the original on 22 September 2014.
61. Cracknell, David; UngoedThomas, Jon (9 July 2006). "No. 10 lines up Miliband for Prescott job". The Sunday Times. London. Archived from the original on 13 March 2007. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
62. "Prescott tells Labour: I'm sorry". BBC News. 28 September 2006. Archived from the original on 28 September 2006. Retrieved 28 September 2006.
63. "I'm 'demob happy', says Prescott". BBC News. 31 January 2007. Archived from the original on 2 February 2007. Retrieved 1 February 2007.
64. "John Prescott to resign as Deputy PM". The Telegraph. 10 May 2007. Archived from the original on 24 May 2023. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
65. Sellman, Mark; Coates, Sam (24 June 2007). "Harriet Harman elected deputy leader of Labour Party". The Times. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
66. "Prescott in Council of Europe job". BBC News. 4 July 2007. Archived from the original on 23 August 2007. Retrieved 22 September 2007.
67. Brown, Colin (23 August 2007). "Prescott to stand down at election and focus on Council of Europe role". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 11 December 2008. Retrieved 1 October 2008.
68. "John Prescott to stand down as MP". BBC News. 27 August 2007. Archived from the original on 15 October 2007. Retrieved 27 August 2007.
69. Headline: ISBN 978-0-7553-1775-2.
70. Bury, Liz (9 November 2007). "Have they got books for you". The Bookseller. Archived from the original on 20 July 2008.
71. "John Prescott launches his Election Battlebus". BBC News. 7 April 2010. Retrieved 1 February 2012.
72. "Prescott: Brown is 'global giant'". BBC News. 21 September 2009. Archived from the original on 24 September 2009. Retrieved 3 April 2010.
73. "Dissolution honours: John Prescott made a peer". BBC News. 28 May 2010. Archived from the original on 8 September 2017. Retrieved 28 May 2010.
74. "No. 59459". The London Gazette (Supplement). 15 June 2010. p. 11151.
75. "Lord Prescott takes his place in the House of Lords". BBC News. 8 July 2010. Retrieved 8 July 2010.
76. "No. 59485". The London Gazette. 12 July 2010. p. 13181.
77. "Prescott handed role at Hull KR". BBC Sport. 18 October 2007. Archived from the original on 20 October 2007. Retrieved 18 October 2007.
78. "Lord Prescott fails in Treasurer bid". BBC News. 26 September 2010.
79. Sparrow, Andrew (26 September 2010). "Labour conference live". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 8 April 2017.
80. "Treasurer Results". Labour. Archived from the original on 1 October 2010.
81. Mulholland, Helene (30 July 2010). "Lord Prescott admits intelligence doubts prior to Iraq war". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 19 September 2016.
82. "John Prescott: Ex-deputy PM says Iraq War was illegal". BBC News. 10 July 2016. Archived from the original on 10 July 2016. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
83. Travis, Alan (10 February 2012). "John Prescott to stand for police commissioner post". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 19 May 2012.
84. "Lord Prescott aims for Humberside police job". BBC News. 18 June 2012. Archived from the original on 19 June 2012. Retrieved 19 June 2012.
85. "Police election results". BBC News. 16 November 2012. Archived from the original on 16 November 2012. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
86. ^ Hope, Christopher (24 March 2013). "Lord Prescott told to 'stop speculating' after suggesting Queen should abdicate". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 27 October 2013. Retrieved 19 February 2014.
87. "John Prescott: Why I've quit Privy Council after 19 years". Sunday Mirror. 6 July 2013. Archived from the original on 8 July 2013. Retrieved 6 July 2013.
88. "Privy Council Office". www.thegazette.co.uk. Archived from the original on 4 November 2014. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
89. "John Prescott resigns from Privy Council". BBC News. 6 July 2013. Archived from the original on 7 July 2013. Retrieved 6 July 2013.
90. "John Prescott set to return to front-line politics". BBC News. 22 February 2015. Archived from the original on 22 February 2015. Retrieved 23 February 2015.
91. "John Prescott: Labour's pugnacious stalwart who pulled no punches". Sky News. Archived from the original on 22 November 2024. Retrieved 22 November 2024.
92. "Lord John Prescott is awarded the Shechtman International Leadership Award in Turkey". www.flogen.org. FLOGEN Star OUTREACH. Archived from the original on 20 February 2018. Retrieved 19 February 2018.
93. The Lord Speaker (10 July 2024). "Retirements of Members and Cessation of Membership". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Vol. 839. Parliament of the United Kingdom: House of Lords. col. 5–6.
94. "John Prescott: Tony Blair leads tributes to Labour giant". BBC News. 21 November 2024. Retrieved 22 November 2024.
95. "John Prescott in Gavin and Stacey". 9 December 2009. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
96. Bloxham, Andy (7 January 2011). "John Prescott 'paid five figures' for boxing advert". The Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 8 January 2011. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
97. Dowell, Ben (25 February 2011). "Jeremy Clarkson and John Prescott trade barbs on Top Gear". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 22 November 2024.
98. Hanks, Robert (28 October 2008). "Last Night's Television – Prescott: The Class System and Me, BBC2". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 2 December 2008. Retrieved 1 November 2008.
99. Wightwick, Abbie (29 November 2009). "John Prescott chokes backs tears after Welsh secret revealed". Wales Online. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
100. Wollaston, Sam (15 October 2009). "Prescott: The North/South Divide". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 14 March 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
101. "Ian Hislop versus John Prescott – Have I Got News For You", British Comedy Guide, retrieved 22 November 2024
102. https://www.engine7.co.uk/made-in-yorkshire/
103. https://www.channel5.com/show/made-in-yorkshire
104. "Made In Britain | Food". Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 6 July 2021.
105. "FactCheck: Prezza pulls his punches?". Channel 4 News. 30 May 2008. Archived from the original on 7 September 2008. Retrieved 28 November 2008.
106. "John Prescott: An Upstanding Member of UK PLC". The Friday Project. 28 April 2006. Archived from the original on 26 May 2006. Retrieved 23 February 2014.
107. Davies, Liz (30 March 2001). "The odd couple". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
108. Smyth, Chris (9 July 2006). "Prezza's big gamble on Dome billionaire". The Times. London. Archived from the original on 14 September 2012.
109. "'Two Jags' Prescott in parking row". BBC News. 27 July 2001. Archived from the original on 8 September 2017. Retrieved 23 February 2014.
110. ^ "Prescott punches protester". On This Day. BBC. 16 May 2001. Archived from the original on 7 March 2008. Retrieved 23 February 2014.
111. Weaver, Matthew (1 June 2006). "'Two Shacks' Prescott". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 3 March 2014. Retrieved 1 October 2008.
112. Hughes, A. K. (6 November 2013). A History of Political Scandals: Sex, Sleaze and Spin. Barnsley, Yorkshire: Pen & Sword History. ISBN 978-1-84468-089-4. Archived from the original on 4 January 2016. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
113. Adams, Guy (24 May 2006). "Another sacked minister holds on to his residence". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 11 December 2008. Retrieved 19 February 2014.
114. "'Two bans' Prescott caught speeding". The Daily Telegraph. London. 9 June 2015.
115. Brown, Colin (20 July 2013). "The truth about Prescott and that punch". The Independent. Archived from the original on 5 May 2021. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
116. "Prescott sees red". BBC News. 17 May 2001. Archived from the original on 13 January 2009. Retrieved 24 February 2014.
117. "Prescott 'regrets' blow". BBC News. 17 May 2001. Archived from the original on 23 December 2008. Retrieved 24 February 2014.
118. "In Pictures: John Prescott". BBC News. 10 May 2007. Archived from the original on 25 April 2010. Retrieved 29 April 2010.
119. "NOP poll and Sunday Times analysis". The Guardian. UKPOL. 9 January 2003. Retrieved 30 April 2006.
120. Perkins, Anne (21 September 2001). "Prescott in clear over rumble in Rhyl". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 19 March 2017. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
121. "Series 16, Episode 6". Top Gear. 27 February 2011.
122. "Obituary: John Prescott: Bridge who held old and new Labour together". Reuters. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
123. Malvern, Jack (21 January 2004). "Heroes of the Empire fight to stay rent-free". The Times. London. Retrieved 28 November 2008.
124. Hencke, David (18 May 2000). "Watchdog overruled. MPs back Prescott over flat rented from union". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 6 March 2014. Retrieved 28 November 2008.
125. "Prescott apologises over tax bill". BBC News. 12 January 2006. Archived from the original on 15 October 2006. Retrieved 28 November 2008.
126. Fenton, Ben (2 May 2006). "Prescott, a bully from a more brutal age". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 26 March 2014. Retrieved 19 February 2014.
127. "Prescott admits affair with aide". BBC News. 28 April 2006. Archived from the original on 8 September 2017. Retrieved 19 February 2014.
128. "Standards question over Prescott". BBC News. 27 April 2006. Archived from the original on 29 December 2006. Retrieved 19 February 2014.
129. "Prescott the predator keeps his spoils". The Sunday Times. London. 7 May 2006. Archived from the original on 21 November 2024.
130. "Key details: MP expenses claims". BBC News. 19 June 2009. Archived from the original on 11 May 2009. Retrieved 19 February 2014.
131. "Prescott declares US ranch stay". BBC News. Archived from the original on 8 September 2017. Retrieved 18 April 2015.
132. Helm, Toby. "Prescott met US billionaire seven times". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 5 April 2018. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
133. Hencke, David; Evans, Rob (6 July 2006). "Lobbying for a casino at the dome: how the deputy PM's officials got involved". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
134. "Auditors probe Prescott son's house deals". BBC News. Archived from the original on 18 February 2003. Retrieved 18 April 2015.
135. Malkin, Bonnie; Copping, Jasper (19 August 2006). "Prescott is urged to tell all about son's land deals". Archived from the original on 5 April 2018. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
136. "Prescott Gives Up Dorneywood Home". News.sky.com. 1 June 2006. Archived from the original on 11 July 2012. Retrieved 13 June 2013.
137. "Critics welcome Dorneywood move". BBC News. 1 June 2006. Archived from the original on 29 February 2008. Retrieved 18 April 2015.
138. White, Michael (1 June 2006). "Prescott: I was wrong to hold on to Dorneywood". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 18 September 2017. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
139. White, Michael (1 June 2006). "'I'm not a saint. I'm not a forever sinner ... and I'm not unique'". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 18 September 2017. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
140. Elgot, Jessica (2 June 2019). "Labour urged to review complaints policy amid David Prescott claims". The Observer. Archived from the original on 2 June 2019. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
141. "Son loses bid for Prescott's seat". BBC News. 17 March 2008. Archived from the original on 21 March 2008. Retrieved 9 May 2010.
142. Buckle, Leanne (producer) (19 February 2012). Desert Island Discs – Lord Prescott (Radio program). BBC Sounds. Archived from the original on 21 November 2024. Retrieved 2 August 2024 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
143. "How could a big man like John Prescott have a girls' illness". The Times. London. 20 April 2008. Archived from the original on 16 May 2008. Retrieved 3 April 2010.
144. "Prescott has diabetes". BBC News. 19 May 2002. Archived from the original on 12 October 2003. Retrieved 3 April 2010.
145. "Prescott admitted into hospital". BBC News. 5 June 2007. Archived from the original on 8 September 2017. Retrieved 7 October 2008.
146. "Prescott suffering from pneumonia". BBC News. 5 June 2007. Archived from the original on 1 December 2008. Retrieved 7 October 2008.
147. Woodward, Will (11 June 2007). "Prescott released from hospital". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 5 October 2014. Retrieved 7 October 2008.
148. "Prescott tells of bulimia battle". BBC News. 20 April 2008. Archived from the original on 21 April 2008. Retrieved 20 April 2008.
149. "Former deputy PM John Prescott suffers stroke". 24 June 2019. Archived from the original on 24 June 2019. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
150. Young, Angus (20 January 2020). "Hull legend John Prescott back in action after suffering stroke". HullLive. Archived from the original on 21 November 2024. Retrieved 6 July 2021.
151. ^ Lee, Dulcie; Bosotti, Rorey, eds. (21 November 2024). "Former Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott dies aged 86". BBC News. Archived from the original on 21 November 2024. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
152. Courea, Eleni (21 November 2024). "John Prescott, British former deputy prime minister, dies aged 86". The Guardian. PA Media. Archived from the original on 21 November 2024. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
153. "No one was quite like John Prescott, says Tony Blair". BBC News. 21 November 2024. Archived from the original on 21 November 2024. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
154. "Tony Blair leads tributes to John Prescott after his death aged 86". The Independent. 21 November 2024. Archived from the original on 21 November 2024. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
155. "Gordon Brown pays tribute to 'colossus' John Prescott after his death aged 86 following battle with Alzheimer's". LBC. Archived from the original on 21 November 2024. Retrieved 21 November 2024.

Further reading

• Brown, Colin (1997). Fighting Talk: Biography of John Prescott. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-684-81798-5.
• Hoggart, Simon (2003). Punchlines: A Crash Course in English with John Prescott. Pocket Books. ISBN 0-7434-8397-9.

External links

• John Prescott on Twitter
• Parliamentary profile Parliamentary career for Lord Prescott - MPs and Lords - UK Parliament

• Contributions in Parliament at Hansard 1803–2005
• Voting record at Public Whip
• Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou
• John Prescott at IMDb
• Appearances on C-SPAN
• BBC Profile, BBC News, 5 May 2006
• "John Prescott's gift of the gaffe", BBC News, 6 June 2003

v t e Deputy prime ministers of the United Kingdom
Formally titled	Michael Heseltine (1995–1997) John Prescott (1997–2007) Nick Clegg (2010–2015) Dominic Raab (2021–2022) Thérèse Coffey (2022) Dominic Raab (2022–2023) Oliver Dowden (2023–2024) Angela Rayner (2024–present)
Others fitting definition	Clement Attlee (1940–1945) Anthony Eden (1951–1955) Rab Butler (1955–1963) George Brown (1964–1968) Reginald Maudling (1970–1972) William Whitelaw (1979–1988) Geoffrey Howe (1989–1990) George Osborne (2015–2016) Damian Green (2017) David Lidington (2018–2019) Dominic Raab (2019–2021)

v t e First secretaries of state of the United Kingdom
Rab Butler (1962–1963) George Brown (1964–1966) Michael Stewart (1966–1968) Barbara Castle (1968–1970) Michael Heseltine (1995–1997) John Prescott (2001–2007) The Lord Mandelson (2009–2010) William Hague (2010–2015) George Osborne (2015–2016) Damian Green (2017) Dominic Raab (2019–2021)

v t e Secretaries of state for environment of the United Kingdom
Secretaries of State for Environment	Walker Rippon Crosland Shore Heseltine King Jenkin Baker Ridley Patten Heseltine Howard Gummer
Secretaries of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions	Prescott
Secretaries of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs	Beckett Miliband Benn Spelman Paterson Truss Leadsom Gove Villiers Eustice Jayawardena Coffey Barclay

v t e Secretaries of state for transport of the United Kingdom
Bill Rodgers Norman Fowler (Minister of Transport 1979-1981, Secretary of State for Transport 1981) David Howell Tom King Nicholas Ridley John Moore Paul Channon Cecil Parkinson Malcolm Rifkind John MacGregor Brian Mawhinney George Young John Prescott (as Secretary of State for Environment, Transport and the Regions) Stephen Byers (as Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions) Alistair Darling Douglas Alexander Ruth Kelly Geoff Hoon Andrew, Lord Adonis Philip Hammond Justine Greening Patrick McLoughlin Chris Grayling Grant Shapps Anne-Marie Trevelyan Mark Harper Louise Haigh Heidi Alexander

• 1938 births
• 2024 deaths
• Alumni of Ruskin College
• Alumni of the University of Hull
• British Merchant Navy personnel
• British republicans
• British Secretaries of State for the Environment
• Deaths from Alzheimer's disease in England
• Deputy prime ministers of the United Kingdom
• First secretaries of state of the United Kingdom
• Labour Party (UK) MEPs
• Labour Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies
• Labour Party (UK) life peers
• MEPs for the United Kingdom 1973–1979
• National Union of Seamen-sponsored MPs
• New Labour
• Life peers created by Elizabeth II
• Peers removed under the House of Lords Reform Act 2014
• People associated with the 2001 United Kingdom general election
• People from Prestatyn
• People who resigned from the Privy Council of the United Kingdom
• Politicians from Kingston upon Hull
• Politics of the East Riding of Yorkshire
• Sailors from Kingston upon Hull
• Secretaries of state for transport (UK)
• Trade unionists from Kingston upon Hull
• UK MPs 1970–1974
• UK MPs 1974
• UK MPs 1974–1979
• UK MPs 1979–1983
• UK MPs 1983–1987
• UK MPs 1987–1992
• UK MPs 1992–1997
• UK MPs 1997–2001
• UK MPs 2001–2005
• UK MPs 2005–2010
• Welsh sailors