Though a loyal supporter of Sir Tony during his time in office, Lord Prescott was later critical of Britain’s involvement in the Iraq war, telling the that the 2003 invasion of the country “cannot be justified”.
He retired from the Commons in 2010 and to the surprise of many of his supporters accepted a peerage, despite reportedly having once said: “I don’t want to be a member of the House of Lords. I will not accept it.”
He defended the decision because it would give him continued influence over environmental policy.
He ceased to be a member of the House of Lords in July of this year due to non-attendance, having only spoken once in the chamber since suffering a stroke in 2019.
“John spent his life trying to improve the lives of others, fighting for social justice and protecting the environment, doing so from his time as a waiter on the cruise liners to becoming Britain’s longest serving deputy prime minister,” his family said.
“John dearly loved his home of Hull and representing its people in Parliament for 40 years was his greatest honour.”
Lord Prescott married his wife, Pauline, in 1961 and they had two children together – David and Jonathan.
