Former UK Deputy PM John Prescott dead at 86

Britain’s longest-serving Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott died aged 86, his family announced Thursday morning.

Prescott was a former trade union activist who served at Prime Minister Tony Blair’s side as one of the best-known figures of the New Labour era.

Prescott represented Hull East as an MP for 40 years and served as deputy PM to Blair for a decade from 1997 to 2007, focused on issues around climate, transport, regional development — and trying to keep the peace between Blair and Chancellor Gordon Brown.

In a statement, his family said Prescott, who had Alzheimer’s, died peacefully on Wednesday, “surrounded by family and the jazz music of Marian Montgomery.”

The statement said Prescott spent his life “trying to improve the lives of others, fighting for social justice and protecting the environment.”

“John dearly loved his home of Hull and representing its people in Parliament for 40 years was his greatest honour,” the family statement said.

“I am devastated by John’s passing,” Blair said in a statement reported by Sky News. “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.”

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he was “deeply saddened” to hear of Prescott’s death and extended his condolences to his family on behalf of the Labour Party.

“John was a true giant of the Labour movement,” Starmer said in a statement posted on social media. “He was a staunch defender of working people and a proud trade unionist. During a decade as Deputy Prime Minister, he was one of the key architects of a Labour Government that transformed the lives of millions of people across the nation.”

“Across the Labour Party and the union movement, he will be remembered for his conviction, courage, and strength of character,” Starmer added. “His passion, force of personality and pride in his working-class roots was key to his authenticity — an honesty that was recognised and respected across the political divide and across the nation.”

This is a developing story.