Prescott resigns as deputy leader
John Prescott has written a letter to the Peter Watt, general secretary of the Labour party, announcing his intention to stand down as deputy leader of the party.
The letter, which follows Tony Blair’s confirmation of his own resignation, comes as no surprise given that Mr Prescott had made it clear that he would leave office when the prime minister did.
“Tony and I were elected together back in 1994 and it has been an honour to serve as deputy to the most successful Labour prime minister ever. To have been deputy leader and the longest serving deputy prime minister is a matter of great pride to me,” he wrote.
He listed the achievements of which he is most proud, including the Kyoto treaty, public-private finance initiatives, investment in public services, more jobs and the lifting of people out of poverty.
“As I informed you and the East Hull executive a couple of weeks ago, I intend to stand down as deputy leader of the Labour party. I also gave written notice to the national executive committee officers and the general secretary of the Labour party two weeks ago that it was my intention not to continue as the deputy leader of the Labour party,” he said.
“This government is testament to the fact that it is possible to apply traditional Labour values in a modern setting.”
The seven-week campaign for the deputy leadership has now begun. Hilary Benn, Hazel Blears, Alan Johnson, John Cruddas, Peter Hain and Harriet Harman are all
