UK’s John Prescott, pugnacious deputy PM to Tony Blair, dies

(Reuters) – John Prescott, a former British deputy prime minister in Tony Blair’s Labour government, has died, his family said on Thursday.

Prescott, 86, died following a battle with Alzheimer’s, his family said in a post on X.

© Reuters. John Prescott leaves Downing Street, London, May 9, 2006. REUTERS/Stephen Hird/File Photo

He served as deputy prime minister from 1997 to 2007.

Prescott was one of Blair’s most colourful ministers and was known as a plain-speaking politician who bridged the divide between the traditional left-wing and the modernisers in the Labour Party.