Former prime minister Sir Tony Blair choked up as he paid an emotional tribute to Lord John Prescott. The former UK deputy prime minister died “peacefully” surrounded by relatives at his care home after a battle with Alzheimer’s, his family said in a statement on Thursday (21 November). Paying tribute to the former trade union activist, Sir Tony said: “I’m feeling devastated, we knew it was coming because he had been very ill, but my deepest condolences to Pauline, Jonathan, and David.” Speaking to BBC Radio 4 Today, Sir Tony said: “There was no one quite like him in British politics.” The former prime minister appeared to struggle to find his words, before adding: “We had our disagreements from time to time, but he was loyal and a massive help to me.”