Angela Rayner says John Prescott 'used to call her after PMQs to remind her to stay true to who she is'
by Kit Heren · LBCExclusive
Angela Rayner speaks to Andrew Marr about John Prescott
By Kit Heren
Angela Rayner has paid tribute to John Prescott, a predecessor as deputy Prime Minister, as she recalled how he used to give her a call after she did Prime Minister's Questions.
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Ms Rayner told LBC's Andrew Marr that Prescott, who has died aged 86, would tell her "how brilliant it was" that she'd reached her position.
"We both come from very working class roots," she said - and told Andrew that Prescott had always told her to focus on "delivering for the people that put you there".
Ms Rayner added that she had visited Mr Prescott a few months ago, not long before he went into a care home. Prescott had Alzheimer's before he died.
"He was fantastic," Ms Rayner said of her visit.
Read more: Infamous moment John Prescott punches protester who threw egg at him
"He was his usual jolly self, you know, and he was asking about how things were for me... He was so pleased that Labour were back in power."
The former trade union activist died "peacefully" and surrounded by relatives at his care home, his family said in a statement.
They said he spent his life "trying to improve the lives of others, fighting for social justice and protecting the environment".
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 after having served for four decades as an MP for the city.
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Ms Rayner said: "John was quite a figurehead, not just in the Labour movement, but in politics in general. He often got memorialised for the character that he was, but actually so much more than that.
"And if you look at the Blair and Brown years, he was kind of a link to keep the party together"
Ms Rayner said that the practical way he dealt with politics was also important.
"Whether it was that regional inequality, making sure that the regeneration was there for areas that felt that they were left behind, or the historic agreement on climate action, which he was at the forefront of," she said.
"A lot of that got lost in the character that John was. But he was beavering away to make sure that things happen. He supported me greatly in my time as Deputy leader and as Deputy Prime Minister.
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"He often used to give me a call straight after I'd done Prime Minister's questions and say how brilliant it was and how important it was that I was that voice and that I stuck true to who I am."
In a statement released after his death, Prescott's 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," they said.
"He did so surrounded by the love of his family and the jazz music of Marian Montgomery.
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"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."
Over a parliamentary career spanning more than half a century, he served for 10 years as deputy PM after Labour's 1997 general election landslide.
He once famously punched a protester who threw an egg at him during an election campaign visit to North Wales in 2001.
However, during most of his time in office, he acted as a mediator 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.
Speaking to Nick Ferrari at Breakfast on Thursday morning, former PM Mr Brown said Prescott will be remembered as a "titan" of Labour.
He said Prescott was a "working class hero" and "colossus of the Labour movement".