Lord John Prescott was hailed as “a man of the people” and a “working-class hero” during a funeral service attended by family, friends and colleagues in the city “he loved and the home he served with pride, passion and principle”.
Key figures from British politics past and present came to Hull Minster on Thursday to pay their respects to the former Deputy Prime Minister, who held the distinguished role between 1997 and 2007. Among those attending were many members of the current Labour government from Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner to Home Secretary Yvette Cooper and Foreign Secretary David Lammy.
As a key figure in the success of the New Labour movement, former prime ministers Sir Tony Blair and Gordon Brown gave eulogies praising the tenacity and kind nature of Lord Prescott, who served as the MP for Hull East for almost 40 years.
The procession of Lord Prescott’s coffin through Hull city centre in a cortege – including ‘Two Jags’ in an apparent nod to the nickname given to him by the press – was met by Alastair Campbell’s bagpipe rendition of the Welsh National Anthem, honouring the nation where the veteran MP was born.
Former Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, gave the first eulogy of the service led by the Rev Canon Dominic Black, which included singing from the Choral-Hull children’s choir. Mr Brown said: “We mourn the loss of a dear friend and a life lived to the full.” He went on to describe Lord Prescott as “unique, remarkable, and extraordinary”.
He added: “John was a man of the people because he could connect with people, and I don’t just mean that man in Rhyl who dared to hurl an egg at him.
“John could connect with people who had not only encountered him in the media, but knew he was on their side.
“The John you saw in Hull and the John you saw at home was the John you saw in Downing Street, and the reason is he was never afraid to stand up for what he believed, and for the people it was his life’s work to serve.”
Lord Prescott’s son David was next to speak. David told of his dad’s adoration for Hull Minster, saying, “our father loved this place”.
He went on to tell the story of how Lord Prescott met his wife Pauline at a bus stop in Chester – a meeting which led to a marriage of more than 60 years. David also told the amusing story of how his parents got engaged in a train toilet.
Sir Tony Blair then told those gathered that Lord Prescott had “started as a political partner, and became a personal friend”.
Sir Tony commended Lord Prescott’s dedication and loyalty to both himself and the Labour Party, describing him as “the guardian of the party’s conscience”.
The former Prime Minister also joked about the “pandemonium” that ensued after “the punch” during the 2001 general election campaign when Lord Prescott struck a protester who had thrown an egg at him in Rhyl. He recalled ringing his deputy with reluctance and asking him to apologise. Sir Tony said he got the reply: “The answer is no, I’m not bloody apologising and that’s the end of it.” The former PM said: “Classic.”
He said he watched the footage again recently and was “cheering him on”.
Members of the current Government also gave readings at the funeral. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer read Psalm 107:23-32 while Deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner, read a poem by the late Hull-based poet Philip Larkin.
The service was concluded with the Lord’s Prayer before mourners left the Minster where well wishers had gathered outside.
During the service, Sir Tony also said: “You will miss him, we will miss him, but I hope if John’s looking down on us, and not already in negotiation with St Peter over the accommodation, I hope he will see in this vast gathering today, a recognition of that working-class boy from a small Welsh town, who rose to the highest ranks of the land by merit, by graft, by greatness of courage and character, and he will feel deservedly at peace.”
By: Andrew Spence, LDRS
