How Prescott made headlines when Chumbawamba singer soaked him at 1998 Brits

John Prescott deed the headlines aft Danbert Nobacon of punk stone set Chumbawamba threw iced h2o implicit his caput astatine the 1998 Brit Awards.

During the grant ceremony, the instrumentalist ran implicit with an crystal bucket to the erstwhile lawman premier minister’s array wherever helium was sat with his wife, Pauline, and different guests, soaking the politician.

The politician, who has died aged 86, aboriginal described the incidental arsenic “utterly contemptible” and considered pressing charges.

Police were called to the London Arena aft the incident, wherever Nobacon had performed the band’s deed single, Tubthumping, with the set that night.

The connection issued by Mr Prescott’s bureau astatine the clip said: “It present appears that it was a publicity stunt designed to gully attraction to the group’s act.

“He thinks it is utterly contemptible that his woman and different women-folk should person been subjected to specified terrifying behaviour simply due to the fact that they were accompanying a nationalist fig astatine an lawsuit designed to enactment the British euphony industry.”

Nobacon claimed his actions were not a publicity stunt, but felt the person had performed 1 by attending the grant ceremonial a twelvemonth aft Labour came to power.

The instrumentalist told reporters astatine the time: “It was a metaphor for the underdog pissing connected the steps of Downing Street.

“People speech astir New Labour being wonderful, but they are an illusion and accidental the aforesaid things arsenic everyone else, but with bigger smiles and sharper suits.”

Nobacon was an progressive subordinate of the British set Chumbawamba from 1982 to 2004 earlier moving connected to absorption connected solo work.

When presenting a prize astatine the British Soap Awards the pursuing year, Mr Prescott made a jokey notation to his soaking by saying: “I was a small apprehensive, I had to marque definite Chumbawamba weren’t here.

“I didn’t cognize whether to enactment connected a meal suit oregon a wetsuit.”