The United Kingdom (UK) is mourning the demise of the former deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott, 86, who died at his care home on Wednesday, November 21, 2024, following a battle with Alzheimer.

Prescott served under Tony Blair’s Labour Party government from 1997-2007 and was in UK politics for close to half a century.

His death was announced by his family in a statement posted on X by his wife, Pauline, and sons Johnathan and David.

“We are deeply saddened to inform you that our beloved husband, father, and grandfather, John Prescott, passed away peacefully yesterday evening at the age of 86,” the family said.

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Prescott was a key figure and one of the most colorful ministers of Blair’s party project, seen by many as the custodian of the party’s traditional values in the face of a modernizing leadership. He was known as a plain-speaking politician who at times served as a mediator between his boss, Blair, and the Chancellor, Gordon Brown, who were controversial and uncompromising.

Blair said he was “devastated” by Prescott’s death and described his deputy as one of the most talented people he ever encountered in politics.

“Although we all knew that the end was approaching and was inevitable, I am devastated by John’s passing. He was one of the most committed and loyal and definitely the most unusual,” he said.

Prescott represented his home city of Hull in northern England for four decades in Parliament. After the Labour Party lost power in 2010, he was made a Member of Parliament’s unelected upper chamber, the House of Lords.

Born in Prestatyn, Wales, on May 31, 1938, to a railway signalman and a domestic helper, Prescott left school at the age of 15 to work as a trainee chef and then as a steward on the Cunard Line before entering politics. He went to sea at the age of 17 as a steward on a luxury cruise ship, where he boxed to entertain passengers.

Prescott’s boxing skills earned him respect and, at times, he was known for his short temper trait. One of his most controversial moments is when he famously punched a protester who threw an egg at him during an election campaign visit to North Wales in 2001.