In the aftermath of the incident, during a phone conversation with PM Tony Blair, Prescott reportedly joked, “I was just carrying out your orders. You told us to connect with the electorate, so I did”.

Notably, during a Labour Party election rally at the Little Theatre in Rhyl on 16th May 2001, Prescott punched agricultural protester Craig Evans, who threw an egg at the Deputy Prime Minister on a pedestrian crossing.

Famous during the New Labour Years for his no-nonsense attitude and his old labour values-lesser known are his roles in the introduction of the free bus pass for pensioners and the Right to Roam.