Tony Blair pays tribute to ‘guardian’ of Labour Party John Prescott at funeral

John Prescott’s achievements were “extraordinary”, said former Prime Minister Tony Blair at his funeral.

Delivering his eulogy at Hull Minster on Thursday, Blair said Prescott was a “complicated man, wrestling frequently with the tangle of ambition and altruism”.

“He possessed deep principles, but was also determined to make his mark,” he added.

The former deputy prime minister and Hull MP died on 20 November, aged 86, in a care home where he was living with Alzheimer’s disease.

Lord Prescott was deputy prime minister between 1997 and 2007.

Blair said: “His achievements were extraordinary.

“He was essential in designing the major constitutional reforms of our government, the Scottish parliament, the Welsh assembly and the first elected mayor of London.

“He pioneered the idea of an integrated transport system. Throw him a problem and he would provide a solution.

“There is not one of us who thinks of John without a smile.”

Other eulogies were delivered, including by Lord Prescott’s son, David, who said: “He taught me the importance of lifting people up and not putting people down.”

Mr Prescott ended his tribute with a quote from his father’s 1968 speech to the East Hull Labour Party when he ran to be selected as a candidate .

“Comrades I hope I can help,” it said, with Mr Prescott adding: “You did dad, you did.”

Others paying their respects at the service included Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, former Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Energy Secretary Ed Miliband and London mayor Sir Sadiq Khan.

Lord Prescott’s coffin was carried into the minster as former Downing Street director of communications Alastair Campbell played the Welsh national anthem on the bagpipes.

Brown said: “For 60 years, this great city of Hull was his home. He served it with pride, passion and principle.”

The former prime minister added: “We will never see his like again. A man of the people he certainly was. In a class by himself, a one-off, one of a kind, but one of us in the best sense of the word.”

The service, hosted by the Rev Canon Dr Dominic Black, included singing by the Choral-Hull children’s choir, made up from pupils across the city.

The vicar of Hull ended the service with a reading from the bible and the congregation recited the Lord’s Prayer as he delivered the final blessing over the coffin.

Dr Black then referenced the New Labour anthem “things can only get better”, but added “sadly not”, as he talked about how “troubling times are afoot in our world”.

But he ended with a poignant note that “there is hope, things can better”.

Lord Prescott was first elected as MP for Hull East in 1970 and went on to hold the seat for almost 40 years.

In lieu of flowers, the Prescott family requested donations for Alzheimer’s Research UK.