Gordon Brown has paid tribute to former deputy prime minister John Prescott following his death aged 86 following a battle with Alzheimer's. The former prime minister credited Mr Prescott with transforming "our view of climate change" and being the "pioneer of levelling up."
Report by Kennedyl. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
Report by Kennedyl. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00John Prescott was a friend, he was a colleague, but he was also a political colossus, he was
00:05a Labour titan, he was one of the all-time greats, because he had passion, he had courage,
00:12he was determined to get things done, and he believed that if he had managed to achieve
00:17opportunities because he was able to develop his potential, then everybody should have
00:21the chance to get these opportunities. That's what motivated him in his political career.
00:26He transformed our view of climate change, he was the leader in that. He built one and
00:32a half million houses, so people are living in far better homes as a result of that. Nobody
00:35has done that ever since. And at the same time, he led the way on regional policy in
00:40getting Scotland, Wales, the regions of England. He was the pioneer, if you like, of levelling
00:45up. He wanted to see every part of the country enjoying economic prosperity. So John was
00:50actually a change merchant, he got things done, he wasn't just talk. I mean, people
00:54think of him as an uncompromising trade unionist who was incredibly determined. He actually
01:00got things done.