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Former Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott arrives to give evidence at the Leveson inquiry on February 27, 2012 in London, England.
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.