Former British deputy prime minister John Prescott dies at 86

John Prescott, the former deputy prime minister of the UK, died at the age of 86, his family announced on Thursday.

Prescott's wife, Pauline, and sons, Jonathan and David, said in a statement that he had been a lifelong advocate for social justice and the environment, The Guardian reported.

"John spent his life trying to improve the lives of others, fighting for social justice and protecting the environment," they said, describing his 40 years in parliament representing Kingston upon Hull East as "his greatest honour."

Prescott was deputy prime minister from 1997 to 2007, during Labour's decade of power following its historic landslide election victory.

He was a central figure in Tony Blair's New Labour government, often balancing the party's traditional values with its modernization efforts.

He played a key role in mediating disputes between Blair and Chancellor Gordon Brown and was instrumental in negotiating the Kyoto Protocol on climate change.

While his political career was marked by controversy, such as the 2001 incident in which he punched a protester, Prescott remained a key figure in Labour's successes.

Blair once praised his "unique blend of charm and brutality" as vital to keeping the government together.

Prescott, who retired from the House of Lords earlier this year, had suffered a stroke in 2019 and was living with Alzheimer's disease.

The family invited donations to Alzheimer's Research UK in his memory.