LONDON (Reuters) – Here are key facts about John Prescott, Britain’s combative former deputy prime minister, who has died after a battle with Alzheimer’s disease, his family said on Thursday:
– Prescott, 86, served as deputy prime minister in Tony Blair’s Labour government from 1997 to 2007 and received a peerage in 2010.
– Born in Wales to a railway signalman and a domestic helper, he was always fiercely defensive of his working class roots. He went to sea at 17, as a steward on a luxury cruise ship, where he boxed to entertain passengers.
– He entered parliament in 1970 and became deputy leader of Labour in 1994. He was an effective conduit between the figureheads of Blair’s revamped “New Labour” and the traditionalists of Labour’s grassroots. He also acted as peace broker in the fraught relationship between Blair and his future successor, the then-Chancellor Gordon Brown.
– Prescott was persistently lampooned by the media and opponents for his lack of oratory skills. He mispronounced words or made grammatical mistakes, prompting sketch writers to cruelly suggest his speeches would make as much sense played backwards.
– He aimed a left jab at a man who threw an egg at him during the 2001 election campaign, living up to his image as a bare-knuckle politician of the old school. His nickname in the media was “Two Jags”, from having two luxury Jaguar cars.
– In April 2006, Prescott acknowledged a long extra-marital affair with his diary secretary Tracey Temple, 24 years his junior. The affair, which included sex sessions in his office, prompted several women to come forward and accuse him of sexist behaviour towards them. His wife Pauline stood by him.
– That July parliament launched a full investigation into his contacts with American billionaire Philip Anschutz, who hoped to open a huge casino at the Millennium Dome in London. Prescott met him several times and had even stayed at his ranch. Police said subsequently Prescott would not face prosecution.
(Reporting by David Cutler; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
Comments