Inside John Prescott's famous punch row that defined his career - watch shocking moment

The celebrated "Prescott Punch" is regularly remembered arsenic a defining infinitesimal of Labour's 2001 election, with polls uncovering that a ample swathe of the nationalist supported his reaction

John Prescott's decease astatine 86 has sparked a treatment astir the Labour titan's storied vocation successful politics, which was famously defined successful its aboriginal years by the infinitesimal helium punched a subordinate of the public.

Mr Prescott's household confirmed connected societal media this greeting that the erstwhile MP and serving subordinate of the House of Lords died aft a agelong conflict with Alzheimer's. In a tearful connection posted to X, formerly Twitter, they remembered the erstwhile Labour lawman arsenic a antheral who "spent his beingness trying to amended the lives of others", adding that helium died surrounded by loved ones portion listening to "the jazz euphony of Marian Montgomery".

While the politician's storied vocation has been wide celebrated successful the hours since the quality broke, it has besides seen members of the nationalist and media research its much arguable side. Discussions of his clip successful authorities person centred connected the infamous infinitesimal helium punched a protester who threw an ovum astatine him.

Mr Prescott, past the Labour lawman leader, had joined the Labour way arsenic the enactment vied for re-election successful 2001 and was visiting Rhyl, successful northbound Wales, to talk astatine a rally. He was captured connected camera walking down a thoroughfare successful the Welsh municipality alongside a file of protesters who had turned retired to quality debased section cultivation wages and Labour's enactment of a fox hunting ban.

Footage of the lawman PM being flanked by constabulary arsenic helium walked down the thoroughfare showed chaos erupt pursuing an incident, with Mr Prescott seen locked successful a scuffle with a subordinate of the nationalist with what appeared to beryllium an ovum smashed connected his suit lapel. It aboriginal emerged that 1 of the protesters had thrown an ovum astatine the politician, who responded by launching astatine him with a left-handed jab.

As the video continues, the lawman tin beryllium seen being walked distant from the country by constabulary and different bystanders. The protester was aboriginal named arsenic cultivation idiosyncratic Craig Evans, and Mr Prescott argued that helium had acted successful self-defence erstwhile helium threw the punch. Police did not instrumentality immoderate further action.

The person said astatine the time: "I got disconnected my autobus into an already hostile crowd. I walked done each the jostling and I was attacked by an individual. In the melee that followed I intelligibly defended myself. I judge that idiosyncratic is present being questioned by the constabulary and it would beryllium rather incorrect of maine to adhd immoderate further comment."

Ron Ingram, a workplace labourer from Kinmel Bay, a colony neighbouring Rhyl, recounted the incident, saying the person "just turned astir and thumped" the protester. He said: "Somebody threw an ovum and Prescott conscionable turned astir and thumped them. I saw it. We were conscionable protesting.

"The ovum deed him and helium deed out. There was pushing and shoving going connected thing terrible. It got rather nasty. We are conscionable farmers and we are trying to gain a living. He wants to effort surviving connected £100 a week." While shocking, the punch failed to sway nationalist sentiment against Labour, and polls aboriginal recovered that the nationalist mostly supported his reaction.