Ruskin College reveals John Prescott Room in tribute to late politician

Mr Prescott’s son, former Labour political advisor David Prescott, paid tribute to his father’s transformative time at Ruskin College between 1963 and 1965 where he was tutored by respected historian Raphael Samuel.

“John called his two years here ‘the joy of my life’,” David Prescott told attendees at an event to mark the launch.

“Even in the last stages of his life, when names and memories were fading due to Alzheimer’s, Ruskin remained vivid to him. That tells you everything.”

His father received a union scholarship to enable the then-ship steward to study politics and economics at Ruskin.

He went onto to study economics at the University of Hull and eventually served as Hull East MP for 40 years from 1970, rising to become Deputy Prime Minister

David said his father had written that “Ruskin helped me shape the bullets I would fire in my political career.”

David added: “And he never stopped firing them. Against inequality. Against injustice. Against those who said people like him weren’t fit to govern.

“So today, 60 years after John Prescott left this college, my family wants to say thank you, Ruskin.

“Thank you for opening that door and my father’s mind.

“Thank you to the tutors who challenged him - and lifted him.

“And thank you to the working-class students who have continued to walk through these doors and make this place what it is.”

David finished his speech by directly quoting from John’s first Ruskin essay on whether power corrupts.

“I would like to finish with a quotation as my essay has been devoted to one.

“The pursuit of knowledge is a moral obligation. The end of knowledge, is power.”​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​