The former deputy prime minister John Prescott has died aged 86 after a battle with Alzheimer’s.
The former trade union activist died “peacefully” and surrounded by relatives at his care home, his family announced.
In a statement released after his death his wife, Pauline, and sons, Jonathan and David, said he "spent his life trying to improve the lives of others, fighting for social justice and protecting the environment”.
Mr Prescott was a pivotal figure in Sir Tony Blair's New Labour project which saw the party win three consecutive elections.
He served for ten years as deputy prime minister after Labour's 1997 general election landslide. During much of his time in office, he acted as a go-between between Blair and the then-chancellor Gordon Brown.
He was ennobled in 2010 and was introduced to the upper chamber as Baron Prescott of Kingston upon Hull after serving for four decades as an MP for the port city in East Yorkshire.
However, he left the upper House in July this year due to health difficulties.
Tributes have flooded in this morning from political figures from across the globe.
Sir Tony Blair said he was "devastated" for the loss of his former deputy prime minister and "will miss him as a dear friend."
He said: "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.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said he was "deeply saddened" by his death.
He dubbed Mr Prescott a "true giant of Labour", saying his legacy will "live on far beyond his lifetime".
Al Gore, the former US vice-president said in a statement on Thursday, that he had “never worked with anyone in politics — on my side of the pond or his — quite like John Prescott”.