TRIBUTES have poured in for the former politician John Prescott who has died aged 86, and as the tributes from across the political spectrum continue to flow, this ‘titan’ of British political history touched nearly every corner of the UK including Newport, and the South Wales Argus, once telling one of our journalists to ‘bugger’ off.

Former deputy prime minister Lord Prescott died following a battle with Alzheimer’s, his family announced.

Notoriously short-tempered, as deputy prime minister he famously brawled with a protester who struck him with an egg while out campaigning during the 2001 general election.

Lord Prescott has did aged 86Lord Prescott has did aged 86 (Image: Prescott Family)

He also had a run-in with a South Wales Argus journalist.

In 2005, reporter Mark Choueke asked the MP to comment on a decision by Labour National Assembly Member Peter Law to stand against his own party in the general election.

But Mr Prescott, who was on an official visit to Gwent as part of his election trail, refused to answer Mark’s questions – and instead accused him of being an “amateur”.

The crucial exchange came when Mark asked: “Are you too big for the regional press now John?”

Lord Prescott replied: “Bugger off – get on your bus you amateur.”

On the incident, Mark wrote in the Argus: "The interview I did with John Prescott took on a life of its own within minutes of it being published.

"The story and pictures quickly started appearing on newswires and websites and it was strange being on the other side of media attention.

"John Prescott's office labelled me 'unreasonable and unprofessional' but I had been invited to join him on his campaign trail for an interview and asked him a reasonable question."

Lord Prescott once accused an Argus reporter of being an 'amateur'Lord Prescott once accused an Argus reporter of being an 'amateur' (Image: PA)

Tributes have poured in for the ex-merchant seaman who has been described as providing a ‘crucial link with the Labour Party’s working-class roots as Sir Tony Blair’s reforming drive led critics to accuse him of abandoning socialism altogether’.

Sir Tony told the BBC Lord Prescott was deeply proud of his working class background, as he shared the best advice given to him by his former deputy was “always to remember that we had two bits of the coalition” in the Labour Party.

He said: “One bit of the coalition was, you know, your progressive middle class, but the other was your aspirational working class.

“And it’s very important to realise this about John – he was proud of his working class roots, but he didn’t celebrate them in the sense of saying, you know, I want everyone to stay as they are.”

Gordon Brown praised Mr Prescott for “wanting prosperity for everybody”.

Mr Brown told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “He wanted for other people what he also felt was right for him and his family.

“What was great about John was not that he had two Jaguars – but he wanted everybody to have the chance of a higher level of prosperity.”

In his tribute to Lord Prescott, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said: “I am deeply saddened to hear of the death of John Prescott.

“John was a true giant of the Labour movement. He was a staunch defender of working people and a proud trade unionist.”

Lord Prescott’s family said he had “spent his life trying to improve the lives of others, fighting for social justice and protecting the environment”.