John Prescott: Ellesmere Port school drop-out to Britain's longest-serving deputy prime minister

John Prescott may have dropped out of Ellesmere Port's former Grange secondary school without any qualifications, but it didn't stop him from going on to become Britain’s longest-serving deputy prime minister. He left the Regent Street school at the age of 15 to work as a trainee chef and then as a steward on the Cunard Line.

The father-of-two, who married his wife Pauline while living in Chester, eventually entered politics and became Labour MP for Kingston upon Hull in 1970. It was a role he held on to and cherished for more than 40 years.

Today, tributes have flooded in for Lord Prescott from across the political divide following his death at the age of 86 after a battle with Alzheimer’s. The son of a railwayman, he was born in Prestatyn, North Wales, in May 1938, and at the age of four moved to South Yorkshire.

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After he failed the 11-plus exam to attend grammar school, the family relocated to Chester and Lord Prescott became a pupil at the Grange. As a lasting tribute to his time in Ellesmere Port, the West Cheshire College campus off Sutton Way - located on the site of his old school - has a theatre bearing his name.

The one-time trade union activist returned to the town back in 2008 when he was promoting his autobiography at the old Borders store and recalled his school days with fondness. He told the Ellesmere Port Pioneer: "It’s amazing how much it has changed from the old school.

"I have very fond memories of the Grange. We had two famous footballers at the time, one was Joe Mercer, and I remember them bringing the FA Cup round in 1953 and every kid had a drink out of it.

"I also remember the teachers taking us on a trip to the Lake District. Those of us who came from Chester were looked down on as kids saw it as the posh part of the county."

Lord Prescott died "peacefully" and surrounded by relatives at his care home, his family announced this morning. He ceased to be a member of the upper House in July this year after facing health difficulties.

He had only spoken once in the chamber since suffering a stroke in 2019, official records show, and had not voted since February 2023. Over a parliamentary career spanning more than half a century, Lord Prescott served for 10 years as deputy prime minister after Labour’s 1997 general election landslide.

At times short-tempered, he once famously punched a protester who threw an egg at him during an election campaign visit to North Wales in 2001. In a statement released after his death, his wife Pauline and sons Johnathan and David said: "John spent his life trying to improve the lives of others, fighting for social justice and protecting the environment, doing so from his time as a waiter on the cruise liners to becoming Britain’s longest-serving deputy prime minister.

"John dearly loved his home of Hull and representing its people in Parliament for 40 years was his greatest honour. We would like to thank the amazing NHS doctors and nurses who cared for him after his stroke in 2019 and the dedicated staff at the care home where he passed away after latterly living with Alzheimer’s."

Former prime minister Sir Tony Blair said he was "devastated" by Lord Prescott’s death, adding: "He was one of the most talented people I ever encountered in politics; one of the most committed and loyal; and definitely the most unusual."

His successor, Gordon Brown, said "former boxer" Lord Prescott was "key to holding the ring and keeping things together during difficult times such as over Iraq". He added: "John Lennon said the the working class hero is a difficult thing to be, but I think John would be just fine with being remembered that way. He wanted the good things in life for everyone and not just himself. And he showed that Britain can be a country where if you work hard you can fill your potential."

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