Where in the current Government is the John Prescott character? - Sarah Todd

Expressing his sympathy to the former politician’s family, King Charles said: “I am deeply saddened to learn of the death of Lord Prescott.

“I remember with great fondness his unique and indomitable character, as well as his infectious sense of humour.”

Lord Prescott once wrote that while he was “not a raving loyalist,” he had “a lot of time for Charles.”

Back in 2015 he defended the then Prince of Wales’s right to “write as many damn letters as he likes”, saying the royal had “a lot to offer this country”.

His comments came after the Supreme Court upheld a ruling which paved the way for the publication of so-called “black spider” memos penned in 2004 and 2005 and sent by Charles to seven government departments.

Lord Prescott wrote at the time: “Charles has an awful lot to offer this country. And if he wants to serve his subjects by helping young people into work, combating climate change and building sustainable communities, he can write as many damn letters as he likes.”

Talking of letters, Lord Prescott once fondly remembered how the then Prince of Wales had taken the time to send him a handwritten note when his mother had died. Gosh, how proud of her son must Mrs Prescott Snr have been?

His rise from failing the eleven-plus he desperately wanted to pass to leaving school with no qualifications and getting a job with the Merchant Navy to ending up at the very heart of the corridors of power was truly inspiring. Thinking aloud, what a film it would make.

His experience at sea pushed him towards trade unionism and he went into higher education via Ruskin College, Oxford and the University of Hull, from where he gained a degree in economics and economic history.

During these eight years at university it was his hairdresser wife Pauline’s wages that supported him and his growing political ambition; apparently she was out canvassing with him when eight months pregnant.

This, in a roundabout way, is what made John Prescot. His real-life experiences (working as a steward on a ship and being married to a hairdresser) are exactly what today’s career politicians are so short of.

We live in a world where increasingly the bland is leading the bland. Identikit clones go from doing the right degree at the right university to the right Westminster internships, following the footsteps of some dull MP who will doubtless have trodden the same path.

It was wrong of the BBC to mention Lord Prescott’s infidelity in its coverage of his life and death. He did wrong, owned up and said sorry. Going on to stay married to the lady who had been by his side throughout.

But, of course, it was no surprise. Like Sir Keir Starmer’s army, the nation’s broadcaster seems to have an increasingly snide side and it was an absolute joy to see Jeremy Clarkson point this out while being interviewed during last week’s farmers’ rally.

That same evening the BBC based itself in the affluent Gloucestershire town of Cirencester and spent time with a farmer who spoke about his £8m worth of assets from a farmhouse kitchen that could have graced a glossy magazine.

He was great and articulate and all the rest of it, but he wasn’t a typical small family farmer of the ilk that could have easily been found in pretty much any other county.

It would have been completely understandable if the reporter had been in Cirencester because it is home to the Royal Agricultural University - but there was no mention of this.

Why couldn’t camera crews have been set up on a sheep farm in the Lake District or a family veg growers in Lincolnshire? Oh no, the BBC had to choose one of the most affluent corners of the country.

In Cornwall, two farmer’s daughters were suspended from school for wearing wellies in support of the protest.

Talking of schools, what a joke that 200 were closed last week when a bit of snow fell. Where, in our current Government, is the John Prescott character who would tell teachers to get their wellies on and stop being so soft.