Fiery John Prescott was proud to be a blunt-speaking Northerner – he was last authentic voice of Britain’s working class

JOHN Prescott, a erstwhile Cunard Line waiter who roseate to beryllium lawman Prime Minister nether Tony Blair, was the past authentic dependable of the moving classes to service successful precocious office.

The MP for Hull, known arsenic The Mouth of The Humber, spoke for the commercialized unions successful a New Labour authorities which yet broke their stranglehold implicit economical and concern policy.

As lawman person of the Labour Party, helium besides refereed the infamous
“TeeBee-GeeBees” flare-ups betwixt Blair and Chancellor Gordon Brown during their conflict for the Labour crown.

Burly “Prezza”, a prize-winning boxer, was a bruiser some wrong and extracurricular Parliament.

In the 2001 predetermination campaign, helium was deed successful the look by an ovum thrown by a protestor.

Prescott, a antheral with a hair-trigger temper, landed a almighty near jab earlier constabulary intervened.

“There was lone 1 punch,” helium explained afterwards. “Tony Blair rang and asked what happened.

“I said: ‘You told america to link with the electorate, truthful I did’.”

Lord Prescott, who has died aged 86, was arrogant of his working-class roots and arsenic a blunt-speaking Northerner.

But helium was calved successful Prestatyn and regarded himself arsenic a Welshman.

In aboriginal beingness helium admitted carrying a spot connected his enarthrosis aft his member Ray was rewarded with a caller motorcycle for passing his 11-plus to a grammar school.

John failed and got nothing.

What helium saw arsenic a gross injustice fuelled a lifelong resentment towards elitism - adjacent wrong his ain enactment - and an insecurity which drove him adjacent to the apical of the governmental greasy pole.

He was profoundly wounded that successful 10 years arsenic lawman PM, helium and his glamorous wife, Pauline - an Elizabeth Taylor lookalike - were ne'er invited to meal astatine Chequers, the PM’s authoritative home.

Prescott blamed Blair’s “snobbish” wife, Cherie.

“We ne'er got adjacent to the Blairs,” helium said. “It conscionable didn't happen. We were not their set. Certainly we were not her set.”

The erstwhile ship’s steward was mocked by toffee-nosed Tories specified as
Nicholas Soames who greeted him successful the Commons, crying: “Mine’s a gin-and-tonic, Giovanni.”

And helium was teased for mangling the English language, erstwhile complaining "the sceptre of unemployment stalking the north-east".

As Environment supremo, helium boasted: “The Green Belt is simply a Labour
achievement - and we mean to physique connected it.”

But the lad of a railway signaller was nary fool.

He studied economics and authorities astatine Ruskin College, Oxford, and scored a BSc grade astatine Hull University.

He enjoyed his success, surviving successful a turreted mock-Tudor mansion and playing croquet connected the lawns of his authoritative home, Dorneywood.

An avowed socialist, helium earned his “Two Jags” nickname by driving an XJ6 Jaguar and utilizing a chauffeur-driven XJ8 for authorities business.

“My roots, my background, the mode I enactment is moving class, but it would by hypocritical to accidental I’m thing different than mediate people now,” helium admitted.

John Prescott’s singular governmental vocation crumbled dramatically successful 2006 erstwhile his two-year emotion matter with bubbly caput Tracey Temple was exposed aft her jealous person work her diary.

Tracey, who sold her communicative to a Sunday paper for £250,000, described “groping and kissing” successful the Deputy PM’s bureau and his opulent grace-and-favour Admiralty bureau flat.

"We were precise fortunate we were ne'er caught - arsenic we ne'er unopen the door,” noted Tracey, played by Maxine Peake successful “Confessions of a Diary Secretary".

"When I went into his bureau for diary meetings, if I was wearing a skirt helium would descent his manus up my leg, nether it.

“He utilized to changeable my back. And, yes, I did springiness him enactment successful the bureau a
couple of times.

“I knew what we were doing was risky but we some got carried away.

"Seven civilian servants worked close extracurricular his office. Of people determination were moments erstwhile I thought, I shouldn't beryllium doing this.

"I besides thought however amazed and shocked radical would beryllium if this ever got out."

Prezza resigned arsenic lawman Labour person telling the 2006 enactment conference: “I cognize I fto myself down. I fto you down.

"So conference, I apologise."

Nine years aboriginal helium returned to front-line authorities arsenic unpaid advisor to Ed Miliband connected clime change.

Prescott suffered a changeable portion campaigning for Mr Corbyn astatine the 2019 predetermination and retired from politics.