The Labour Party is fond of balance. When smooth, middle class barrister Tony Blair became its leader in 1994, plain-speaking, pugnacious, working class John Prescott was the perfect man to balance the ticket.

Former British Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott, who served under Tony Blair, has died, aged 86. His working-class background made him an unusual figure in the British political landscape.

He was a cruise ship waiter before rising in the trade union movement and becoming one of the country’s best-known Labour politicians under Tony Blair.