'I didn't expect John Prescott's reaction when I rang to tell him I knew about his affair'

The Mirror's Kevin Maguire praises 'working people hero' John Prescott aft his decease astatine 86 arsenic helium remembers backmost to revealing the details of the Labour politician's matter successful 2006

A moving people leader is thing to beryllium sang different John, Lennon, and Prescott was that successful spades.

True unit of quality was John Prescott, the lad who overcame failing his 11-plus to beryllium the UK’s longest-serving Deputy Prime Minister, a elephantine of the Labour Party and large British occurrence story. Driving him was the elemental tendency to amended beingness for moving radical and helium achieved that arsenic a commercialized unionist, Labour MP, Cabinet Minister and, implicit 3 Government’s, Tony Blair’s wingman.

Born with nary metallic spoon successful his mouth, mercurial Prezza could beryllium brilliantly insightful and frustrating - sometimes some successful the aforesaid mangled sentence. He was benignant and comic past brutal and snarling but the galore lives of John Prescott created the person who Angela Rayner, Keir Starmer’s deputy, strives to emulate successful a skirt.

JP arsenic they called him astatine the apical of New Labour circles was undoubtedly a unfortunate of corrosive snobbery, ridiculed and dismissed by snooty Tories for playing croquet astatine Dorneywood, surviving successful eight-bed mock Tudor "Prescott Towers” successful Hull and arsenic “Two Jags”, buying 2nd manus cars portion sitting successful ministerial motors.

Boxing chap unit members for the pleasance of paying passengers and inexpensive prizes portion serving arsenic a waiter connected Transatlantic liners resulted decades aboriginal successful privileged Tory Nicholas Soames clicking his fingers and shouting: "Mine's a gin and tonic, Giovanni."

Prescott resented the jeers yet didn’t conscionable get angry, helium got even, playing important roles successful Labour’s 1997, 2001 and 2005 victories to mastermind immense improvements successful the lives of moving radical arsenic his haughty detractors whinged impotently from the sidelines.

Outlawing fox-hunting was a satisfying people triumph implicit toffs who became his prey. Traditional values successful a modern mounting was the slogan of a Left-winger denounced by Harold Wilson arsenic 1 of the astir unsafe men successful Britain during a 1966 seafarers’ strike.

Some would telephone his compromises excessively acold aft 1997, selling out, but his was an invaluable relation arsenic a span betwixt Tony Blair and Gordon Brown positive a glue holing the labour movement’s governmental and concern wings together. Prescott could constituent to factual achievements modernising rundown societal housing, powering determination economical growth, improving nationalist transport, rescuing the British limb of the Eurostar obstruction way to France and combating clime alteration connected the planetary stage.

The azygous incidental champion recalled by galore was Prescott connecting with the electorate successful the 2001 predetermination by thumping a mullet-headed elector who smashed an ovum connected the backmost of his caput successful Rhyl, North Wales. I watched astatine the time, laughing and cheering portion wondering whether he’d gone excessively far.

The seafaring pugilist who boxed for travellers, erstwhile including ousted Tory PM Anthony Eden, instinctively swung astir and deed the protester with a near before, mercifully for the man, ne'er unleashing the clenched close piledriver. Blair’s campy wanted Prezza to apologise. He wouldn’t. It was self-defence, helium justifiably argued. There was adjacent chaotic speech wrong Labour HQ of Prescott resigning. Surely a Deputy PM hitting radical was a debased stroke successful politics?

No way. The nationalist loved Prescott for it. Sick and bushed of yobs frightening bully law-abiding folk, present was a person who stood up for himself and them. Only aboriginal did Prescott admit that had the ovum thrower been a kid oregon woman, and he’d reacted without seeing his assailant, his vocation would person ended instantly.

I was to play a relation successful the lone juncture helium earnestly considered quitting arsenic Deputy PM, a profoundly achy 2006 infinitesimal for him and particularly woman Pauline. The incandescent lorry driving past spouse of a civilian servant moving for Prescott, Tracey Temple, revealed she was having an matter with her brag and determination were photographs and a diary arsenic proof.

Prescott ne'er did get connected the formation aft I called him connected his mobile astatine Heathrow, John not swearing astatine maine treble proof. Treading delicately, we agreed a 24-hour pause. He had to talk to Blair and a Pauline helium loved earlier giving the Daily Mirror a connection expressing regret.

The powerfulness narration betwixt leader and worker positive usage of Government properties was a genuine nationalist involvement justification successful disclosing what was besides a idiosyncratic issue. I liked and admired John, I’d dealt with him for years, and understood if helium would ne'er talk to maine again. A mates of months later, aft he’d suffered overmuch taunting, we bumped into each different successful Westminster and I braced for a mouthful of abuse.

Instead helium invited maine into his Commons bureau afloat of models of ships he’d served on, gave a fruity remark past resumed talking authorities arsenic if I’d ne'er contributed to his nationalist heartache. What a man. What a Labour giant. What a moving people hero. RIP