'Our John Prescott always challenged Britain to be a better country'

'It volition beryllium a tribute to his bequest erstwhile much and much people, immoderate their commencement successful life, can, arsenic John did, realise their talents to the full,' writes erstwhile Labour PM Gordon Brown

John Lennon wrote a celebrated opus astir a working-class hero.

John Prescott would ne'er person utilized the words "working-class hero" astir himself—he ever underplayed his achievements—but knowing John, I don't deliberation helium would person complained if others utilized these words for him.

There are fewer who execute thing akin to heroic presumption successful their ain lifetime, peculiarly those who person to woody with the messy compromises of being successful government.

But John Prescott became—and volition remain—a Labour question legend.

He started from humble beginnings, and aft failing his 11 plus, helium ne'er got the motorcycle helium had been promised if helium had passed the exam. He joked his archetypal woman rejected him due to the fact that his spelling, revealed successful a missive to her, was truthful bad. So, aft leaving schoolhouse astatine 15, helium decided to amended himself.

Not contented with being a waiter and compartment steward connected a Cunard liner, his quest for an acquisition led him to motion up for correspondence courses and past college. He was ne'er thing different than grateful for the opportunities helium past enjoyed astatine Ruskin College Oxford and Hull University and devoted the remainder of his beingness to getting these chances for others too.

And this leader was ever passionate successful his beliefs successful fairness for all, courageous successful warring for the causes helium adopted, and contempt an outwardly deceptive representation of uncompromising toughness, helium was precise generous, believing successful the bully successful everyone—even the ovum thrower successful Wales who John famously punched during a wide predetermination campaign, of people successful self-defense.

After his studies astatine Oxford and Hull, his emergence was meteoric: national official, Labour MP, Labour frontbench spokesperson connected the regions, and past the positions of Deputy Labour Leader and Deputy Prime Minister.

And his achievements successful authorities should not beryllium forgotten.

With Al Gore, helium was the moving unit down the archetypal statement connected clime alteration astatine Kyoto. Angry astatine areas near down by coal, steel, textile, and larboard closures, John was the pioneer of modern determination policy, which paved the mode for devolution and elected Mayors.

Without his determination arsenic situation minister, 1.4 cardinal homes would not person been improved—a grounds fig with fractional of each societal lodging modernized to the payment of thousands of families who escaped damp, overcrowded, and insanitary conditions.

From 1992, helium was helping John Smith and Tony Blair betterment the Labour Party to marque it electable, and past the erstwhile boxer was cardinal to holding the ringing and keeping things unneurotic during hard times specified arsenic implicit Iraq.

John and his woman Pauline were ever a glamorous couple; she and their sons were ever devoted to supporting his work, and our thoughts astatine this clip are with her and her sons and wider family.

John’s courageousness saw him done hard times. He was diagnosed with diabetes and past bulimia and was unfastened and honorable astir the changes successful fare and manner helium had to marque to header with the conditions, helping others to accommodate on the way. Latterly, helium had terrible Alzheimer’s, a information helium wanted the state to instrumentality much earnestly with amended probe and treatment. But done it all, John smiled and joked and was warm-hearted erstwhile talking to friends.

Being a moving people leader was, arsenic Lennon knew, a hard happening to be. But our John Prescott coped - ever warring hard for the bully things successful beingness for everyone - not conscionable himself. Lennon besides knew that Britain has ever been a state wherever determination is truthful overmuch imaginable but excessively small opportunity. But our John Prescott ever challenged Britain to beryllium a amended country. And it volition beryllium a tribute to his bequest erstwhile much and much people, immoderate their commencement successful life, can, arsenic John did, realise their talents to the full.