John Prescott’s Son Joins Green Party

Sky News reports that the son of Labour’s former deputy prime minister, John Prescott, has become a member of the Green Party. David Prescott, whose father served alongside Sir Tony Blair for a decade, officially switched allegiance in October 2025, a year following his father’s passing.

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In a recent Facebook post, Mr. Prescott was seen with Green campaigners in Gorton and Denton, areas that recently secured the party’s inaugural by-election triumph. The accompanying message celebrated the achievement with the exclamation: “What. A. Day. Hope Beat Hate.”

“David was born into the Labour Party and like myself he was from a rock-solid socialist and trade union family,” said Karl Turner, who replaced John Prescott as the Labour MP for Hull East in 2010. “Again like myself, David was politically active from a very young age. David was always his own man not his old man.”

Turner added that he believes John Prescott would be “furious” if he were alive today, directing his criticism toward Labour for enabling progressive voters to move to a “left-wing, more progressive alternative.”

Following Labour’s significant by-election loss in Gorton and Denton, the Green Party’s success has raised concerns about the party’s ability to retain its progressive base. The result highlights a dual threat: losing support to Reform on the right and seeing defections from left-leaning voters disillusioned by Labour’s policies, particularly its approach to the Gaza conflict.

Recent polling by YouGov for Sky News revealed the Green Party overtook Labour in a surprising shift, reaching 21% in the rankings. This growth is attributed to the publicity surrounding the Gorton and Denton victory. David Prescott, one of John’s two sons with Pauline, had previously contested Labour nominations in multiple constituencies, including East Hull, but fell short of selection.

David’s political journey also included a notable bid for the Gainsborough seat in 2015, where he faced Conservative MP Edward Leigh. In 2017, he was temporarily suspended from his role as an aide to Jeremy Corbyn due to harassment allegations. Though he denied the claims, the party did not revoke his membership at the time.

“David has not publicly spoken about joining the Greens out of respect to friends who are still Labour members, councillors, and MPs,” noted a Green Party representative. “But he was one of 2,000 people who came to Gorton and Denton to help get Hannah elected, and we thank him for his support.”

Labour MPs have expressed frustration over the by-election outcome, which coincided with heightened tensions in the Middle East sparked by US and Israeli strikes on Iran. Some argue the result underscores a broader crisis in the party’s leadership and strategy. John Trickett, representing Normanton and Hemsworth, called the loss a “national issue,” attributing it to “bad political choices” by the prime minister.

Another Labour MP described the defeat as a “punch in the face” for the party and Keir Starmer’s leadership, suggesting the need for collaboration with other left-leaning groups. “This government has burned its base, alienated its core vote, sidelined its activists, and stuck two fingers up to the very people we came into politics to represent,” they stated. “We’re surprised voters are walking away?”

The prime minister acknowledged the Gorton and Denton performance as “very disappointing” but emphasized that by-election losses are a common occurrence for governing parties. He pledged to “keep fighting” amid the challenges.