A North Wales born merchant sea who rose to become one of the biggest figures in British politics has died. John Prescott, a former deputy prime minister has died aged 86, following a battle with Alzheimer's, his family has confirmed. His widow Pauline and sons Johnathan and David said that representing the people of Hull as an MP had been his "greatest honour".
They said: "We are deeply saddened to inform you that our beloved husband, father and grandfather, John Prescott, passed away peacefully yesterday at the age of 86. Lord Prescott was born in Prestatyn in 1938, the son of a railway signalman and his mother came from a mining family. The former trade union activist and ship's steward moved into politics and became a key and often controversial figure in Tony Blair's new Labour Government, elected to power in 1997.
Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox. Fittingly for a man born in North Wales, one of the most famous moments in the former Hull MP's 40-year plus political career came on the campaign trail in Rhyl in 2001, when he threw a punch at a fuel protester. Prescott's threw a left-handed hook at Craig Evans, a farm worker from Denbigh , after an egg was thrown at him.
The protester was later led away in handcuffs. That moment earned him the nickname “two jabs” – a variation on “two Jags”, which referred to his fondness for luxury cars. As tributes were paid across the world of politics today, Sir Tony Blair became emoti.