From fun nights on a ‘ship of shame’ on the Thames, to the acts of kindness and loyalty behind the scenes, John Prescott’s former cabinet colleague, Jack Straw, remembers a man who didn’t give a hoot

John Prescott, the pugnacious deputy prime minister to Britain's Tony Blair during his 10 years in government, has died aged 86 after a battle with Alzheimer's, his family said on Thursday.

Former Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott has passed away at the age of 86 after battling Alzheimer's disease. Tony Blair, under whom Prescott served from 1997 to 2007, led the tributes, praising him as a "loyal and unique" figure in British politics.