JOHN Prescott has been remembered by a former Essex MP as the “glue that joined the Labour and trade union movement together” and a key supporter of the Merchant Navy.

John Prescott, the former deputy prime minister under Tony Blair, has died aged 86, having served as an MP for Hull for over four decades.

Mr Prescott, who had Alzheimer’s and died peacefully in a care home, came to visit the Ivan Henderson, then MP for Harwich, in Clacton in 2001 and 2005 during the General Election campaigns.

Ivan Henderson said: “John came from a sea faring background, and I come from a dock background, and we were in the same union, the RMT.

“He led the ‘Save our ships campaign’ which changed the Merchant Navy ships from being flags of convenience which meant workers from third world countries with cheap wages were instead exploited.”

Politician - Influence - Ivan Henderson, Harwich and Essex County Councillor, said John Prescott was the "glue" for both Labour and the trade unions in the 1990s and 2000s (Image: Maria Fowler) Ivan said when elected to Parliament in 1997, his “proudest moment” was when John Prescott sat through his maiden speech which was about Harwich’s maritime history including the number of merchant navy jobs lost as “the government had sat back down and done nothing”.

Mr Henderson praised John Prescott's tonnage tax for the maritime industry which "brought ships back sailing under the British flag".

Mr Henderson also got to know Mr Prescott further as a Parliamentary Private Secretary for John Prescott and also attended ship naming ceremonies with John and his wife Pauline.

Ivan Henderson added: “He was a fixer and was a massive influence on the Labour into 1997 and in government, it was good to have John as one of three Tony Blair, John Prescott as deputy PM, and Gordon Brown – it was a really good team for the Labour government.

“I saw John as the glue that joined the Labour movement and the trade union movement together - he was the Labour-trade union link.

Ivan also said without John Prescott there would not be a national Merchant Navy Day, meaning the Merchant navy was “finally” recognised for “what they gave to the country during the war.

Ivan Henderson added: “Sometimes there was a snobbery around him like a lot of us who came from an industrial background which I think was uncalled for.”

“He was a big friend of Parliament, cross party, as well.

“He was a great man, and I was honoured and privileged to have worked beside him as both a MP and with the trade union movement

“My thoughts go with Pauline and his family and friends.”