An emotional Sir Tony Blair paid tribute to his former deputy prime minister John Prescott as he said there was “no one quite like him in British politics”.
The former Labour prime minister’s voice quavered as he spoke about Lord Prescott, the longest serving deputy prime minister in British history.
“There was no one quite like him in British politics,” Sir Tony told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
He had earlier paused after describing himself as feeling “devastated” by Lord Prescott’s death at age 86.
"I'm feeling devastated. There was no one quite like him in British politics."
Former Prime Minister Sir Tony Blair says John Prescott reached parts of the Labour Party he couldn't reach. #R4Today
— BBC Radio 4 Today (@BBCr4today) November 21, 2024
Lord Prescott was a key figure of the New Labour project, seen by many as custodian of the party’s traditional values in the face of a modernising leadership.
He was ennobled in 2010 and introduced to the upper chamber as Baron Prescott of Kingston upon Hull having served for four decades as an MP for the city.
Sir Tony told the BBC the best advice Lord Prescott gave him was “always to remember that we had two bits of the coalition” in the Labour Party.
He said: “One bit of the coalition was, you know, your progressive middle class, but the other was your aspirational working class.
“And it’s very important to realise this about John – he was proud of his working class roots, but he didn’t celebrate them in the sense of saying, you know, I want everyone to stay as they are.”
In a written tribute to his close colleague, Sir Tony had described Lord Prescott as “one of the most talented people I ever encountered in politics; one of the most committed and loyal; and definitely the most unusual.”
He also said Lord Prescott could “talk in the bluntest and sometimes bluest language”, but added this “concealed a first rate intellect which meant he thought as deeply about issues as much as he cared about them”.
Sir Tony, under whom Labour won three consecutive terms of office, said these victories could not have been possible without Lord Prescott.
“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,” he added.
Among Lord Prescott’s political achievements were the revival of British inner cities, the Kyoto climate treaty, and completing the Channel Tunnel, Sir Tony said.
He added: “Underneath what could be a fierce exterior, and a manner some undoubtedly found intimidating, beat a loving, kind and compassionate human heart. John was as good a friend as you could ever hope to have, with a deep sensitivity, even vulnerability.
“He will deservedly occupy a special place in the pantheon of the Labour leadership; he will be mourned by his many friends and fans around the world and for me, personally, today is a day of profound sadness but also immense pride in having known him and worked with him: a great man and great servant of country and party.”
