‘John Prescott was a a lot misunderstood man and likewise a a lot underestimated man’

Labour is in grief this morning following the passing of John Prescott.

John was a much misunderstood man and also a much underestimated man. He and his political career were full of ironies and contradictions.

He was regarded as a bruiser yet he was cultured and sensitive. (He revealed he cried when watching Billy Elliott, a film he saw five times when it first came out.) He proudly owned two Jaguar cars yet was one of the early champions of the need to take action on the climate crisis.

A man perhaps best known for throwing a punch spent much of his time in government acting as a peacekeeper between Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. He was an old Labour warrior who was integral to the New Labour project.

Blair’s tribute to Prescott this morning could not be more heartfelt or generous. “It is no exaggeration to say the Labour Party could never have won three consecutive full terms without John,” Blair said in a statement.

“He was a commanding presence. He represented the wing of the Party which was not New Labour, but he did it in a way which never reduced the effectiveness of our appeal and indeed extended it, broadening the base of our support.”

The former Prime Minister went on to list Prescott’s achievements in office from leading on the Kyoto climate talks, establishing the Coalfield Communities Trust, to overseeing the refurbishment of hundreds of thousands of council homes.

No political career is entirely successful. Prescott’s vision of greater devolution to the regions was scuppered at the first hurdle, though, in retrospect, it now seems ahead of its time with the rise of the metro mayors.

Throughout his time in office Prescott was frequently mocked for his accent, his occasional mangling of words and his working class roots. If you want an understanding of what he was up against, one Tory MP used to shout “garçon” across the Commons chamber in reference to Prescott’s time as a waiter on cruise liners.

What his critics never appreciated was he represented the aspiration his party was seeking to make available to others. He also brought an authenticity to New Labour which was sorely needed in a project that became synonymous with spin doctors and control freakery.