John Prescott, a former British deputy prime minister in Tony Blair’s Labour government, has died, his family said on Thursday.

Prescott, 86, died following a battle with Alzheimer’s, his family said in a post on X.

He served as deputy prime minister from 1997 to 2007.

Prescott was one of Blair’s most colourful ministers and was known as a plain-speaking politician who bridged the divide between the traditional left-wing and the modernizers in the Labour Party.