John Prescott, who died aged 86 on Wednesday following a battle with Alzheimer’s, was a key figure in Labour’s return from 18 years in opposition in 1997 to a spell in government longer than any the party had previously achieved, first under Tony Blair and then Gordon Brown.
At a time when Sir Tony had pitched the party to the centre with a New Labour rebranding, Lord Prescott was able to keep the party in touch with its working class roots – the man born in Prestatyn in north Wales had worked as a cook and steward on the Cunard line before entering Parliament.
He was ennobled in 2010, introduced to the upper chamber as Baron Prescott of Kingston upon Hull, having served for four decades as an MP for the city, before leaving the House of Lords earlier this year following health problems.
Lord Prescott was particularly at home on the battlebus, taking the party message around the country and was never averse to a photo opportunity, although a famous altercation in Rhyl with an egg-throwing protester showed the perils of taking on such a public-facing role.
With relations often strained between Sir Tony and then-chancellor Mr Brown, Lord Prescott often had to play the role of peacemaker between the two giants of the party and their respective supporters.
Lord Prescott’s uncompromising defence of Labour values at the time when Margaret Thatcher was the dominant figure of the political landscape won him affection in the party that was wrestling over whether to move to the left or the centre to counter the dominant prime minister of the day.
Donning a wetsuit to swim down the Thames before delivering a letter to Downing Street was one early example of a politician aware of the power of the image.
His grapple with a protester who had hurled an egg at him in the Welsh seaside town of Rhyl during the 2001 campaign momentarily caused panic in Labour ranks, but was quickly played for laughs with the deputy prime minister saying he was a crowd pleaser who was obeying his party leader’s plea to connect with the voters.
Lord Prescott flanked Sir Tony during his last PMQs as premier and had steadfastly supported the leader during three successful election campaigns, having sought the leadership himself on the death of John Smith, finishing a distant second to Sir Tony but ahead of Dame Margaret Beckett.
Although he retreated from the front line as Labour returned to opposition, he was in demand on the campaign trail and enthusiastically took to the streets in support of Jeremy Corbyn.
Eventually, a place in the House of Lords beckoned for Baron Prescott of Kingston-upon-Hull, the East Yorkshire city he long represented in the Commons.
Among his non-political roles was to serve as a director of Hull Kingston Rovers and he often appeared on TV, sometimes with wife Pauline.
