Glenn Sterle (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak briefly about the recent passing of the noble Lord John Leslie Prescott, Baron of Kingston upon Hull, formerly deputy leader of the British Labour Party and Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and seafarer, trade unionist and transport tragic just like me.

I've been asked to make this contribution on behalf of a good friend who once worked with John. John is survived by Pauline, his wife of 63 years, and two sons. He was the eldest child of a Welsh railway signalman and unionist and the grandson of a coalminer. His mother was a domestic helper and the daughter of a union official of some 50 years standing. Although he later attended both Oxford and Hull universities, John didn't excel at school and, at the age of 15, left and trained in hospitality. He then went to sea as a steward and waiter with the Cunard line. While he was at sea, John won a number of boxing competitions and, notoriously, spent a night in the cells in Auckland. This was outdone when he punched a protester who threw an egg at him during the 2001 UK general election campaign.

John became an active trade unionist while at sea, taking on many a fight with the officer class on behalf of his fellow workers. In 1963, John became an official of the National Union of Seamen. He campaigned for reform of the union, for the interests of both British and international seafarers and for the ongoing vitality of the once great British merchant navy. John joined the Labour Party in 1956 and became the member for Kingston upon Hull East in 1970, defeating Norman Lamont, one of John Major's chancellors, by 22,000 votes. He served those lucky folk for 40 years, until he retired from the House of Commons to be elevated to the House of Lords, where he sat until early this year.

Having served variously as shadow secretary of state for energy, transport and employment, he contested the leadership and deputy leadership ballots that followed the tragic death of then Labour leader John Smith. John Prescott served as deputy leader of the Labor party for 13 years under Tony Blair, 10 of those as Deputy Prime Minister. John remains Britain's longest serving Deputy Prime Minister. Upon the election of the Blair government, he became secretary of state for the environment, transport and the regions. John led the British delegation that was so influential in the delivery of the Kyoto protocol. This was the period of New Labour, and it was John who was the bridge between new and old Labour, helping the party refocus its platform from one of government ownership and intervention to one that focused on prosperity and delivering services and outcomes for working people. Whilst John's wider role in the party was crucial, so too was his deft management of the often difficult relationship between, and competing ambitions of, Gordon Brown and Tony Blair.

In addition to his deep understanding and commitment to policy reform within the Labour Party and government, John also had a way with words. His former speechwriter Stephen Hardwick has recalled the joke John told while addressing a UK Labour Party conference, when he said of the ambitious minister during the Thatcher years, 'Michael Heseltine is the Kama Sutra of the conservative party; he's been in every position except No. 10!'

I'm told by Dr Warren Mundy that, when he was head of the economic secretariat of the British Labour Party, John, who at the time was Labour's employment spokesperson, had a deep interest in what the Hawke government had achieved with the accord and looked at how something similar might be implemented in the UK. John visited Australia several times. On one visit, when he was Deputy Prime Minister, John took time out to have lunch with the then Labor shadow cabinet, still keen to learn more about 'what you blokes do down here'. Dr Mundy tells me that John, having been confronted by Tory prejudice throughout his political career, once said to him, 'One of the things about Australia I love is that kids of railway workers don't get this bullshit.'

They say the most genuine compliments in politics often come from one's opponents. William Hague, the former Tory leader and British foreign secretary, said a few days ago:

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.

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John's legacy as a voice for working people and a relentless advocate for Labour will endure.

There aren't many people that can boast of leaving school at 15 years old, going on to become Deputy Prime Minister and ending up with a life peerage. Rest easy, comrade.