Oxfordshire politicians have paid tribute to a former deputy prime minister who died at the age of 86 having attended a college in the city. 

John Prescott's family announced he had died after a battle with Alzheimer’s on Thursday, November 21. 

The former trade union activist and ex-merchant seaman died “peacefully” and surrounded by relatives at his care home, they said.

Lord Prescott attended Ruskin College in Oxford, which specialises in courses for union officials, where he gained a diploma in economics and politics in 1965.

Lord Prescott was a key figure of the New Labour project, seen by many as custodian of the party’s traditional values in the face of a modernising leadership.

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John Prescott (Image: Owen Humphreys/PA Wire) He was ennobled in 2010 and introduced to the upper chamber as Baron Prescott of Kingston upon Hull having served for four decades as an MP for the city.

Anneliese Dodds, Labour MP for Oxford East, stated: “This is terribly sad news.

“As well as for his many other achievements, John will be remembered fondly by me and many in Oxford as a passionate champion of Oxford Ruskin and of educational opportunities for all. 

“May he rest in peace.”

Oxford City Council leader Susan Brown added: “I had the great privilege of working with John Prescott on a number of occasions.

"John's role in the last Labour government was pivotal. He was incredibly proud of his trade union routes and of the opportunities he had gained through Ruskin College. He was passionate about extending those opportunities to others. 

“He should also be remembered for the highly important role he played in securing the Kyoto Treaty and for driving policy to tackle climate change. I was very sad to hear the news this morning.”

Banbury MP Sean Woodcock said: “My first political memories were of growing up under a Labour government of which John Prescott was a leading member. I echo the tributes of the Prime Minister and others that we have lost a true political giant who changed this country for the better.”

Lord Peter Mandelson, candidate to be Oxford University's next chancellor, said: “He was absolutely impossible. When I say he was sort of courageous, he was. When I say he was loyal, he was. When I say he was determined, he was. 

"He was always determined to get his own way on any particular issue at any given moment. Right up until the point he’d say, ‘OK, I’ll do this for you. You do this for me. As long as you cover this off I’ll happily go along with it.’

"So he was a negotiator. He was a trade union negotiator. He was a broker. 

"But at the end of the day he wanted it to work and the way in which he made it work was by being incredibly difficult for days on end and then finally sealing it, making work, agreeing it and off we went.”

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About the author  

Toby is a senior reporter who has a particular interest in covering planning and local government. 

He joined in September 2024 having been a reporter at the Hampshire Chronicle for three years. 

Toby studied at the University of Brighton and can be found on X through the handle @JournoToby