Tributes have poured in from Salford politicians after the death of former Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott, 86, was announced this morning.
Salford MP Rebecca Long-Bailey has led the tributes, describing Prescott as a ‘Labour Party giant’ on social media.
The Salford MP shared: “I’m really sad to hear of the passing of John Prescott. He was a Labour Party giant who spent his life trying to improve the lives of others.
“My deepest sympathies and prayers are with his with Pauline, his family and all who loved him.”
Really sad to hear of the passing of John Prescott. A Labour Party giant who spent his life trying to improve the lives of others. My deepest sympathies and prayers are with his wife Pauline, his family and all who loved him. https://t.co/TgCNlcNIcf
— Rebecca Long-Bailey (@RLong_Bailey) November 21, 2024
In a statement on X, his family described him as a man who “spent his life trying to improve the lives of others.”
And shared that “John passed surrounded by the love of his family and the jazz music of Marian Montgomery.
“He spent his life trying to improve the lives of others, fighting for social justice and protecting the environment, doing so from his time as a waiter on the cruise liners to becoming Britain’s longest-serving Deputy Prime Minister.
“In lieu of flowers, and if you wish to do so, you can donate to Alzheimer’s Research UK.”
John Warmisham, Councillor for Pendleton and Charlestown, met John Prescott through the Labour Party.
The Salford councillor described the death of John Prescott as a ‘huge’ loss for the labour movement.
He continued: “It’s huge really. I think John represented particularly Northern working-class people with his trade union background and his no-nonsense down-to-earth speeches.
“He was a traditionalist; he knew the roots.”
RIP John Prescott. pic.twitter.com/OGqQWCPb18
— John Warmisham (@CllrJWarmisham) November 21, 2024
Prescott joined the Labour Party in 1956 and was MP for Kingston upon Hull East for almost 40 years until 2010.
He became Deputy Prime Minister under Tony Blair in 1997 and remained in post for almost a decade.
Councillor Warmisham says he was integral to Blair’s New Labour movement, as he continued: “At the time it was needed. John steered Tony Blair in a different direction. He kept it to its socialist roots, and that’s what’s needed.
“The Labour Party was formed out of the trade unions, that’s all about representing working-class people.
“That’s what John Prescott was all about,” he said.
John Prescott was seen as the traditionalist torchbearer of New Labour, at a time of significant change in policy and priority for the Labour Party.
Blair’s New Labour won a record landslide victory in 1997, gaining a majority of 179 seats.
In 2010, he was given a life peerage and became Baron Prescott for the remaining 14 years of his political life.
Click here for a timeline of the life of John Prescott.
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