We've been hearing a lot about the punching incident but another beloved Prescott moment came much earlier, during his 1994 leadership bid - when he gulped down a pint in less than five seconds.

He ultimately lost the contest to Tony Blair but nonetheless proved his unique ability to connect with voters, going on to serve as Blair's Deputy Prime Minister for a record 10 years.

Prescott's infectious sense of humour has been a common theme in the tributes paid today, and never was that more obvious than with his cameo in the BBC sitcom Gavin and Stacey.

Ruth Jones' character Nessa Jenkins frequently alluded to past relationships with famous faces, including Prescott, culminating with his appearance at her wedding to Dave Coaches in the final episode of series three.

"Hi Dave, congratulations," Prescott says with a grin.

"Cheers John, nice to see you," Dave replies.

Image source, Getty Images

If you're just joining us, welcome as tributes continue to pour in for John Prescott. Here's what's been happening this morning.

• The family of former Labour deputy Prime Minister John Prescott confirmed he has died surrounded by loved ones and the jazz music of Marian Montgomery
• Prescott, 86, had been in a care home recently living with Alzeheimer's
• Labour Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer described Prescott as a "true giant of the Labour movement" who will be remembered for his "conviction, courage and strength of character"
• Former Prime Minister Tony Blair told the BBC he was "devastated" by the news of Prescott - his deputy from 1997 to 2007- saying he had a "gut instinct" about politics and he had "huge, genuine affection for him"
• Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who was chancellor during Prescott's tenure as deputy PM, described Prescott as a "titan" of Labour and praised his negotiation of the Kyoto Protocol in 1997
• In 2019, Prescott told the media that he was worried that all he'd be remembered for was punching a man who threw an egg at him, but that's not the case, as our chief political correspondent writes

Image source, UK Parliament/PA

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has also offered her "heartfelt condolences" on behalf of her party for the death of Lord Prescott.

"He was a titan of British politics in the 1990s. One of this country's greatest examples of social mobility and a true patriot," she says in the Commons.

Laughter could be heard across the room when she mentioned the "famous" 2001 egg punch: "Many of us, all across the country and the public, were very much on his side during that altercation".

Concluding his tribute in the Commons, Starmer says Prescott "truly was a one-off".

"He did it all in his own way, with humour, with pride, passion and total conviction," the prime minister adds

"To the city of Hull and to all those who knew him and loved him - his legacy lives on in all of us".

• For context: Prescott represented the Kingston upon Hull East constituency for almost 40 years

Image source, UK Parliament/PA

Keir Starmer has just paid tribute once again to John Prescott in the House of Commons before delivering an update to MPs.

"We woke today to the deeply sad news that we've lost a true giant of the Labour movement and of this house," he says.

"A man who fought for working class ambition because he lived it.

More now from Lord Mandelson, who describes John Prescott as "one of the all time greats of the Labour party – no ifs, no buts".

"He was the anchor of New Labour, and our three-time successfully elected Labour government. He was central to that. He was the cement that kept New Labour together in his own very inimitable way," he tells BBC News.

Speaking in more detail about how Prescott fitted into the New Labour movement, Mandelson says he "wanted people to have the opportunities he had, to be properly paid, rewarded, treated with real dignity".

"He was a force of nature," Mandelson says. "He was a weird and wonderful guy who made things work at the end of the day and that is what made us successful in government "

Image source, Getty Images

Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham, formerly an MP under New Labour, says Prescott "was first to give the North of England a political profile and paved the way for the devolution of powers to it".

"He made politics real and lifted the lives of millions. He was Our John," he adds in his tribute to the late deputy prime minister.

Joining the flurry of panegyrics in memory of Prescott, Foreign Secretary David Lammy says he was "a relentless champion of working people who never forgot who he came into politics to fight for. Full of good humour and blunt common sense".

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, also a Labour MP during Prescott's time in government, says he was "a lovely man, proud trade unionist, brilliant campaigner and someone who committed his whole life to helping others."

Image source, Getty Images

In the last few hours, tributes to John Prescott have poured in from the Hull KR rugby club, where he sat on the board between 2006 and 2010, and Hull City football club.

Prescott, a lifelong Hull City supporter, gave his approval for the club to rebrand itself as the Hull Tigers in 2014, as a means of increasing its revenue. A statement from the football club says Prescott "served our city with great distinction for four decades".

"Everyone knew the public John, but we were fortunate enough to get to know the private side of him," says Hull KR owner Neil Hudgell.

"His contribution to the club and the area was significant over many years, with tangible evidence of his contribution across the city and beyond, We will miss his fantastic humour and stories of his run ins with various world leaders that entertained us all so much in the boardroom on gameday."

Image source, Getty Images

Also paying their respects to the late John Prescott are Hull's Labour councillors and the city's MP, Karl Turner. Prescott represented the seat of Kingston upon Hull East for nearly four decades.

"We are deeply saddened to hear of the death of our dear friend John Prescott, aged 86. Our long standing former MP for Hull East for 40 years, and Labour's longest standing Deputy Prime Minister, John was a giant of our movement," they said in a statement on Facebook.

"He fought all his life for social justice. He will be so sadly missed and our thoughts and best wishes are with his family Pauline, David and Johnathan. RIP JOHN."

Turner writes on X: "John's legacy will forever be etched in the hearts of those he served and the city he loved. Rest in peace, comrade! Your contribution to public life will never be forgotten."

Image source, Getty Images

Former Labour cabinet minister Lord Mandelson has hailed John Prescott as an “all time great of the Labour Party".

"We owed so much to him - his determination, his courage, his loyalty," he says. "He was the cement that kept New Labour together, a massive force for good as well as a tremendous personality.”

Meanwhile Lord David Blunkett, former Home Secretary, called Prescott "tenacious, sometimes furious, always committed and totally loyal to the Labour cause."

"Last time I saw John in person, he poked me in the chest with his stick, and we hugged. He truly was a giant of modern politics and will be sorely missed."

Henry Zeffman
Chief political correspondent

Image source, PA Media

In 2019 John Prescott told The Guardian: "When I do die, after 50 years in politics, all they will show on the news is 60 seconds of me thumping a fellow in Wales."

The tributes pouring in this morning show he was wrong about that.

The recurrent theme in all the reminiscences is that Prescott was a much more influential and powerful force than some perhaps appreciated.

In the early years of the Blair government, as well as being Blair’s number two, Prescott was secretary of state for environment, transport and the regions, holding responsibilities which are nowadays divided up between four cabinet ministers.

The tributes are also dwelling on how critical Prescott’s trade union, working-class background was to New Labour’s appeal at the same time as Blair and Brown were seeking to win over middle-class voters who had perhaps not considered the party before.

At several crucial junctures Prescott used his credentials to the modernisers’ advantage. Notably he backed Blair’s decision in 1995 to rewrite Clause 4 (the statement of the Labour Party’s principles and aims).

Perhaps less-remembered is Prescott coming to the aid of Blair’s predecessor, John Smith, in 1993, delivering a barnstorming speech backing a move to weaken trade unions’ role in selecting Labour’s parliamentary candidates.

This paved the way for Prescott to win the deputy leadership the next year and become a major figure in Labour, and British, history.

Image source, Getty Images

Independent MP and former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has also paid tribute to John Prescott, describing him as a "huge figure and personality".

Corbyn says he will be "forever grateful for his personal and political support" in the lead up to the 2017 and 2019 general elections, when he ran against Theresa May and then Boris Johnson.

"I am really sad to hear that John Prescott has passed away," Corbyn writes on X. "John was a huge figure and personality, from his seafaring union days to the highest offices in Government.

His endless warmth and iconic wit were loved on the campaign trail. My deepest sympathies to John’s family at their loss. He will be greatly missed."

Image source, Getty Images

Former Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron has just paid tribute to John Prescott, praising him as someone who has had an "enormous impact" on Britain.

"We might have had different political views, but there is no doubting John Prescott's impact on British politics over four decades and more," Cameron writes on X. "John was a heavyweight of the Labour movement and a huge figure of our politics during the 1990s and 2000s."

Cameron says Prescott was "deeply committed, loyal" and had "an enormous impact on our country, our politics and the Labour Party over many years; he will be hugely missed".

"Politics has lost a great character, full of conviction and with a genuine dedication to public service today," adding his thoughts are with Prescott's family and friends.

Image source, Getty Images

Also reacting to news of John Prescott's death is Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey, who says he was "deeply saddened by the news" as he extended his condolences to the Prescott family.

"John Prescott will be remembered as a towering figure in British politics and his unwavering tenacity on the causes he championed should be a lesson to us all," he says.

"His influence on our modern society will still be felt for years to come and his legacy remembered far into the future."

Former Labour Cabinet minister Paul Murphy has been telling BBC Radio Wales Breakfast how he helped clean up John Prescott after a man threw an egg at him during the general election campaign in 2001.

The infamous incident, where Prescott responded by punching the man, has come to be known as the "Prescott Punch" or the "Rumble in Rhyl".

"I was hosting the meeting he was coming to and I recall vividly that I was inside the hall and somebody came in to tell me that someone had thrown egg at John, and I said 'dear me or other words', and two seconds later he'd hit him," says Murphy, describing it as a "very difficult situation".

"He (John) came in dishevelled, and you can imagine his language was quite strong, and I was with him when he was washing the egg off and then the phone calls came in from Alistair Campbell and, of course, Tony Blair".

Image source, X/Angela Rayner

Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner has just released a statement on the death of Prescott, describing him as an "inspiration" to her.

“John was not only a Labour legend but an inspiration to me, and always so generous with his time and support," Rayner says, adding that he was "driven by his Labour values to serve working people".

"Fiercely proud of his working class and trade union roots, he never lost sight of who he came into politics to serve. He used the chance he was given to change the lives of millions of working people.

“A giant of the Labour movement and loyal friend, he will be remembered with huge fondness by all those who knew him."

Image source, Getty Images

Also joining the throng of Labour figures paying tribute to John Prescott is former Number 10 spin doctor Alastair Campbell, writing on X that "there was nobody else like him".

"Tony could not have had a better deputy. Labour could not have had a better campaigner. The government could not have had a better negotiator and - yes, often, peacemaker. Hull could not have had a better MP," he says.

And a few minutes ago, he told BBC Radio 5 Live: "It really does feel like one of our greatest characters has gone. It’s a time when frankly, we need big characters in our lives.

"[John was] absolute authenticity. There was something about John, that he was really, really, real."

Continuing his homage to John Prescott, Gordon Brown describes him as a "pioneer of regional policy", attributing the devolution of mayors to the way "John was thinking right through the 1980s and 90s".

Brown says one of Prescott's greatest achievements was during his role as environment secretary when he oversaw "repair and improvement of housing...one and a half million houses which would not have been repaired without John's determination".

"You've got to look at the practical achievements of someone who possibly surprised himself by the way that he managed to become deputy prime minister," he tells the Today programme.

Image source, Getty Images

We're now hearing from former Prime Minister Gordon Brown for the first time since the news of Prescott's death broke.

"John was a friend of mine, he was a colleague but when you think of him, he was a colossus, he was a titan of the Labour movement," he tells the BBC's Today programme.

Brown, who was Chancellor when Prescott was Deputy Prime Minister between 1997 and 2007, says Prescott was the first government minister to see the importance of the environment, praising his negotiation of the Kyoto protocol.