Highs and blows: the pick of John Prescott

Whether slugging it out with members of the public or sticking two fingers up to the press, former deputy prime minister John Prescott has never been shy of the headlines. To mark the launch of his autobiography, MSN remembers the defining moments of an unlikely legend.

The undulations of John Prescott's political career – some gentle, some not – have been catalogued in a succession of colourful soubriquets. Originally dubbed “Prezza” by the media, with whom he has had a particularly prickly relationship, he later became known as “Two Jags” (he owned one Jaguar and had ministerial use of another). A fisticuffs with a farmer on the 2001 campaign trail produced “Two Jabs”, while “Two Shacks” referred to his grace and favour homes. When details of his extramarital affairs were made catastrophically public, the moniker of choice became “Two Shags”. And when his department was disbanded in a cabinet reshuffle, even the normally staid Independent couldn’t help itself: cue “No Jobs”.

But Prescott’s battle wasn’t just with reporters: his war with words earned its own column inches. Quotable syntax slip-ups such as “The Green belt is a Labour achievement – and we mean to build on it” and “single finger majorities” don’t present themselves every day in political journalism (unless, of course, you work in Washington). As the Guardian’s Simon Hoggart once put it: “Hearing our deputy prime minister trying to speak in clear English is a bit like watching a three-toed sloth take up line-dancing: it may not be graceful, but you don't half admire the effort that's gone into it.” Indeed you do.

Motor mouth

An early advocate of environmental values, Prescott pushed hard for a reduction on road use in his transport policies. In 1999, however, en route to delivering a speech promoting the use of public transport, he and his wife used a chauffeured car to transport them from their hotel to the Labour Party Conference – a distance of 250 yards. When asked why by a reporter, he barked: “Because of the security reasons for one thing and second, my wife doesn't like to have her hair blown about. Have you got another silly question?”

The launch of Labour’s manifesto during the 2001 General Election campaign was eclipsed by his most infamous public outburst. A disgruntled farmer threw an egg at Prescott, who responded by punching the attacker. Police minders had to intervene as the two grappled with each other in full view of the gawking crowd, which included several TV crews – cameras rolling. Seized upon by the press and public with fiendish delight, footage of the fistfight prompted a new nickname: “Two Jabs”.

In 2003, Prescott was forced to give up a grace and favour flat he rented from the RMT Union in Clapham, south London. He had been paying just £200 a month for the apartment – less than a fifth of its market value – but neglected to declare it in the register of members’ interests.

Just three years later, the former ship’s steward was again in the doghouse over his domestic arrangements. In 2006 it transpired the council tax for Admiralty Arch, his official government residence, was being financed not by his private income, as it should have been, but by the public purse. Prescott duly apologised and repaid the money, which had amounted to almost £4,000 over nine years.

Sleazy does it

In 1996, he decried the Tories following a succession of salacious scandals. “They are up to their necks in sleaze,” Prescott preached, referring to the dalliances of former transport minister, Stephen Norris. “The best slogan for their conference next week is ‘Life’s better under the Tories’ – sounds to me like one of Steven Norris’s chat-up lines.” Fast-forward ten years to 2006 and there was Prescott admitting to a torrid two-year affair with his diary secretary, Tracey Temple, much of which was conducted in the hushed corridors of Whitehall. Not, it transpired, an isolated incident. Cue the next tabloid tag: “Two Shags.”

The deputy prime minister's department was disbanded in 2006 following Labour’s poor showing in the local elections, but Prescott kept his position, along with his £134,000-a-year Cabinet salary, chauffeured Jaguar, government flat and country residence in a package worth an estimated £600,000. “Prezza is screwing us all,” observed the Sun, coquettishly.

Being caught – and, more to the point, photographed – playing croquet on the lawn of your (largely paid for by the public purse) country residence while Tony Blair is on holiday, rendering you the acting prime minister, is perhaps not the best possible idea. In May 2006, after the embarrassing event was exposed, Prescott announced he was to give up the Buckinghamshire retreat in a bid to stifle the ever-louder calls for his resignation.

Anschutz affair

Just two months later, Prescott was again under the media microscope for spending time at the Colorado ranch of Phil Anschutz, the American billionaire developer who wanted to turn the Millennium Dome into a super-casino. The Labour heavyweight’s choice of cohort sparked conflict of interest claims from the opposition, although he insisted the pair’s sole topic of conversation was the career of anti-slavery campaigner, William Wilberforce.

Another Blair vacation, also during the searing summer of 2006, saw Britain’s reins snatched from the prime minister's beleaguered deputy by John Reid, who chaired key cabinet committees on the airport bomb plot. In Reid’s native Scotland, the Herald referred to Prescott as the “downsized minister for heatwaves.” Private Eye's front page took things one step further, running a picture of Reid captioned “I’d like to reassure the public that John Prescott is not in charge.”

Never one to shroud his feelings, Prescott let his dislike of Peter Mandelson surface famously during a photo shoot. Posing for the cameras with a crab in a jar, he turned to reporters and said: “You know what his name is? He's called Peter. Do you think you will get on the executive, Peter?" At the time, Mandelson was standing for election to Labour's ruling national executive committee.

by Laura Snook, Editor, MSN UK News

May 28 2008

John Prescott's finest moments: your pick

John Prescott's autobiography, Prezza: Pulling no Punches, is out this week.