John Prescott hit the headlines on many occasions but none more so than when he punched a protester in 2001.

The deputy prime minister was heading to a campaign event for the upcoming general election in Rhyl when agricultural worker Craig Evans pelted him with an egg at point blank range.

Prescott reacted almost immediately by jabbing Evans before a brief scuffle ensued.

Lord Prescott said at the time: ‘I was attacked by an individual. In the melee that followed I clearly defended myself.’

Gordon Brown has said Lord Prescott’s ‘two Jags’ nickname which was coined for having a pair of Jaguar cars was a ‘bit unfair’, adding he wanted ‘prosperity’ for everyone.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, the former prime minister said of Lord Prescott:

He wanted for other people what he also felt was right for him and his family.

What was great about John was not that he had two Jaguars – but he wanted everybody to have the chance of a higher level of prosperity.

Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said Lord Prescott was ‘a giant of the Labour movement” and a “loyal friend”.

Paying tribute to Lord Prescott, who was deputy prime minister from 1997 to 2007, Ms Rayner said:

Through his half a century of public service and a decade as deputy prime minister, John Prescott was driven by his Labour values to serve working people.

Fiercely proud of his working class and trade union roots, he never lost sight of who he came into politics to serve. He used the chance he was given to change the lives of millions of working people.

A giant of the Labour movement and loyal friend, he will be remembered with huge fondness by all those who knew him. John was not only a Labour legend but an inspiration to me, and always so generous with his time and support.

Former prime minister Gordon Brown has described John Prescott as a ‘titan’ who would be remembered as a ‘working class hero’ after rising through the ranks of the Labour Party.

Paying tribute to Lord Prescott, Mr Brown said:

Few achieve something akin to heroic status in their own lifetime, particularly when having to deal with the compromises of being in government, but John Prescott became – and will remain – a legend of the Labour Party: self-educated, passionate in his beliefs, courageous in the causes he adopted, and despite an outwardly deceptive image of uncompromising toughness, he was generous believing in the good in everyone – even the person he famously punched during a general election campaign of course in self-defence.

He not only rose from waiter and cabin steward, through Oxford’s Ruskin College, to the positions of deputy Labour leader and deputy prime minister, but often forgotten are his achievements: with Al Gore the moving force behind the first agreement on the environment at Kyoto, the pioneer of modern regional policy which paved the way for devolution and elected mayors, and the housing minister who repaired and improved 1.4 million homes. He was a titan.

John Lennon said the the working class hero is a difficult thing to be, but I think John would be just fine with being remembered that way. He wanted the good things in life for everyone and not just himself. And he showed that Britain can be a country where if you work hard you can fill your potential.”

Lord Prescott famously clashed with the press many times but it was photographers that irked him in 2017 when his wife fell to the ground as they left the Pride of Britain Awards in London.

The Labour grandee flicked the V-sign and told snappers to ‘f*** off’ after Lady Prescott was knocked over trying to get through a scrum outside the Grosvenor Hotel in Mayfair.

Speaking afterwards, Lord Prescott said his wife had been knocked over and claimed ‘it was almost a Princess Diana situation’.

Sir Tony Blair described Lord Prescott balancing his teacup and saucer on his stomach when the former deputy prime minister first met with the then-Prince of Wales.

The former prime minister had written about the moment in his autobiography A Journey.

He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that the now-King asked him ‘what do you think it signifies?’

I said I don’t think it really signifies anything… it was classic John, but he would have had the same blunt conversation with the then-Prince Charles as he would have had with me.

It’s what he used to do with me as well, he would sit there” with a cup and saucer on his stomach. I don’t think, to be honest, I ever met anyone quite like John and I still don’t think I’ve ever met anyone quite like him.

He was one of the most colourful characters in politics and there’s plenty in the photo archives to back it up.

Let’s take a look back at Lord Prescott’s life in pictures starting from the early 90s at the start of the New Labour revolution to the House of Lords.

John Prescott speaks at the Labour Conference in Blackpool, October 1992

Tony Blair and John Prescott wave to crowds after a speech in 1996

Prescott outside Parliament in 1998 a year after Labour came to power

John Prescott singing at a party in Manchester, on the eve of the final day of the Labour Party conference in 2006

Lord Prescott poses with boxing gloves on a visit to Redcar in 2015

Lord Prescott is introduced to the House of Lords in London as Baron Prescott of Kingston-upon-Hull in 2010

In his tribute to Lord Prescott, former Conservative leader William Hague said:

John Prescott was one of the great figures of our political era – passionate, loyal, and full of life. I will never forget our many lively exchanges across the despatch box.

John was a formidable debater, unflinching in his commitment to his values, and he had a unique ability to speak directly to the concerns of the people he represented.

It was a point of pride for both of us that we hailed from Rotherham; although it shaped us in different ways, we shared a certain bluntness in our exchanges – though in true Yorkshire fashion, John usually got straight to the point faster than I did!

John’s legacy as a voice for working people and a relentless advocate for Labour will endure. My thoughts are with his family and loved ones at this very sad time.

The UK’s leading Alzheimer’s charity has paid its respects to Lord Prescott after his family asked for donations to the group instead of flowers.

Hilary Evans-Newton, chief executive at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said:

It’s heartbreaking to hear that former deputy prime minister, Lord John Prescott, one of the most prominent political figures of our generation, has died with Alzheimer’s. Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones during this difficult time.

It’s tragic how many lives are being lost to dementia, the leading cause of death in the UK. We’re incredibly moved by Lord Prescott’s family, who have asked for donations to Alzheimer’s Research UK, in lieu of flowers.

As the UK’s leading dementia research charity, we’re accelerating progress towards a cure, so no one’s life has to end this way.

Responding to the news of John Prescott’s death, Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said:

I am deeply saddened by the news of John Prescott passing away and my thoughts and prayers are with his friends and family.

John Prescott will be remembered as a towering figure in British politics and his unwavering tenacity on the causes he championed should be a lesson to us all.

His influence on our modern society will still be felt for years to come and his legacy remembered far into the future.

Former prime minister Sir Tony Blair has recalled the moment John Prescott punched a protester who threw an egg at him in 2001.

Sir Tony told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that he answered ‘well, John is John’ at a subsequent press conference.

Someone smashed an egg on his head, and he turned up, and he turned around, and he punched the guy and laid him out.

This caused a huge sort of fracas, obviously… We had to give a press conference in the election campaign the next day, and some people were saying, well, look, he’s deputy prime minister – you know, you can’t have a deputy prime minister thumping a voter.

And then there were other people who said, yeah, but you know… he had this egg slammed in his head, and he turned around and whacked the guy, and a lot of people think, well, fair enough.

A long debate ensued, Sir Tony said, adding:

Finally, at the press conference, when I was asked about that, I just said, well, John, is John. And so was that supposed to be an answer? I said, Yeah, that’s an answer, that’s as much as you can say.

John Prescott was the pugnacious political bruiser who became an indispensable figure in Sir Tony Blair’s New Labour project.

For more than a decade, the ex-merchant seaman provided a crucial link with the party’s working-class roots as Sir Tony’s reforming drive led critics to accuse him of abandoning socialism altogether.

Notoriously short-tempered, as deputy prime minister he famously brawled with a protester who struck him with an egg while out campaigning during the 2001 general election.

He had a stormy relationship with the press who dubbed him “two Jags”, and who mocked his at times jumbled syntax in statements and interviews.

He nevertheless emerged as a key mediator in the turbulent relationship between Sir Tony and chancellor Gordon Brown, which dominated the politics of the time.

But after leaving office along with Sir Tony in 2007, he became increasingly critical of the New Labour legacy, denouncing Britain’s involvement in the Iraq War and backing Jeremy Corbyn.

Former US vice president Al Gore, who worked with John Prescott on the Kyoto Protocol climate change agreement in 1997, said he had ‘never worked with anyone in politics — on my side of the pond or his — quite like John Prescott’.

Mr Gore said in a statement:

He possessed an inherent ability to connect with people about the issues that mattered to them — a talent that others spend years studying and cultivating, but that was second nature to him.

He fought like hell to negotiate the Kyoto Protocol and was an unwavering champion of climate action for decades to come. I’m forever grateful to John for that commitment to solving the climate crisis and will miss him as a dear friend.

Over a parliamentary career spanning more than half a century, Lord Prescott served for 10 years as deputy prime minister after Labour’s 1997 general election landslide.

At times short-tempered, he once famously punched a protester who threw an egg at him during an election campaign visit to North Wales in 2001.

But during much of his time in office, he acted as a mediator in the often turbulent relationship between Sir Tony and chancellor Gordon Brown.

He also oversaw the environment, transport and the regions, a brief which included helping to negotiate the international Kyoto Protocol on climate change.

Lord Prescott was a loyal supporter of Sir Tony in office but subsequently critical of parts of New Labour’s legacy, denouncing Britain’s involvement in the Iraq War.

He also strongly defended Jeremy Corbyn during his time as party leader in the face of fierce criticism.

Sir Tony Blair has described his former deputy as the one of the most talented and loyal politicians he had come across who had achieved ‘extraordinary accomplishments’ in public life.

Paying tribute to Lord Prescott, former prime minister said:

Although we all knew that the end was approaching and was inevitable, I am devastated by John’s passing. He was one of the most talented people I ever encountered in politics; one of the most committed and loyal; and definitely the most unusual.

There was nothing about John which fitted conventional wisdom. He was from proud traditional working class stock yet understood instinctively and completely the aspirations of that class and their desire to better themselves.

He was liberal and tolerant, yet instantly intolerant of any overly liberal middle class dismissal of the misery suffered by poor inner city communities from crime and drug abuse. He could talk in the bluntest and sometimes bluest language, but it concealed a first rate intellect which meant he thought as deeply about issues as much as he cared about them.

It is no exaggeration to say the Labour Party could never have won three consecutive full terms without John. 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 had extraordinary accomplishments: he revived many of Britain’s inner cities, was responsible for the refurbishment of thousands of council homes, the revival of British shipping, completed the Channel Tunnel Rail Link, established the Coalfield Communities Trust to breathe life back into villages and towns affected by the closure of mines; and was Britain’s lead negotiator for the Kyoto climate treaty, the world’s first attempt to agree a global response to climate change.

Sir Keir Starmer said Lord Prescott was a ‘true giant of the Labour movement’ and one of the ‘key architects’ of the last Labour government.

The Prime Minister released this statement below:

Here’s our top story on the MailOnline website following the announcement Lord Prescott has died at the age of 86.

We’ve had tributes from Sir Keir Starmer and former prime minister Sir Tony Blair this morning.

Stick with us for the latest reaction and tributes over the course of the day.

In a statement released after his death, his wife Pauline and sons Johnathan and David said that representing the people of Hull had been ‘his greatest honour’.

We are deeply saddened to inform you that our beloved husband, father and grandfather, John Prescott, passed away peacefully yesterday at the age of 86

He did so surrounded by the love of his family and the jazz music of Marian Montgomery.

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.

John dearly loved his home of Hull and representing its people in Parliament for 40 years was his greatest honour. We would like to thank the amazing NHS doctors and nurses who cared for him after his stroke in 2019 and the dedicated staff at the care home where he passed away after latterly living with Alzheimer’s.

In lieu of flowers and if you wish to do so, you can donate to Alzheimer’s Research UK.

As you can imagine, our family needs to process our grief so we respectfully request time and space to mourn in private. Thank you.

Former deputy prime minister John Prescott has died aged 86 following a battle with Alzheimer’s, his family has announced.

The former trade union activist and ex-merchant seaman died “peacefully” and surrounded by relatives at his care home, they said.

Lord Prescott was a key figure of Sir Tony Blair’s 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.

His death marks the loss of a heavyweight of modern politics.

We will bring you the latest reaction and tributes from throughout the day.