Former UK deputy PM John Prescott dies at 86
John Prescott, Britain’s former Deputy Prime Minister under Tony Blair and a key figure in transforming the Labour Party, has died at the age of 86, his family announced on Thursday.
“We are deeply saddened to inform you that our beloved husband, father, and grandfather, John Prescott, passed away yesterday (Wednesday) at the age of 86,” the family’s statement read.
Prescott served as Deputy Prime Minister from 1997 to 2007 during Blair’s transformative Labour government, which delivered a landslide election victory in 1997.
A working-class politician and former trade union activist, Prescott balanced Blair’s centrist policies by representing Labour’s traditional left-wing base.
Blair expressed his grief, calling Prescott “irreplaceable” and a unique presence in British politics.
“There was no one quite like him,” Blair said, noting Prescott’s critical role in keeping the Labour government cohesive
