Former Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott arrives to give evidence at the Leveson inquiry on February 27, 2012 in London, England.
Former Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott arrives to give evidence at the Leveson inquiry on February 27, 2012 in London, England.
Dan Kitwood/Getty Images
CNN  — 

John Prescott, a former British deputy prime minister in Tony Blair’s Labour government, has died, his family said on Thursday.

Prescott, 86, died following a battle with Alzheimer’s, his family said in a post on X.

He served as deputy prime minister from 1997 to 2007.

Prescott was one of Blair’s most colourful ministers and was known as a plain-speaking politician who bridged the divide between the traditional left-wing and the modernizers in the Labour Party.