Prescott vows to stay in job
John Prescott has insisted that he has no plans to resign despite the growing controversy over his future.
The deputy prime minister admitted some people in the Labour party were “disappointed” with him following a number of embarrassments including an affair with his diary secretary and being photographed playing croquet while deputising for Tony Blair.
But in his first television interview since the recent scandals, he has insisted that he still has a major role to play in the government.
“I still believe that I have got an important contribution to make in that, otherwise I would not stay around,” he told BBC1’s Sunday AM.
“I do believe there are people in the Labour party who have been disappointed with me, of course, I’d be stupid not to recognise that.
“But what they say is ‘get on with the job, get on with doing what Labour’s done and get that case across’.”
He also hinted that a decision on his and Tony Blair’s future would be take place “very shortly”, prompting speculation that the prime minister would soon be announcing a timetable for handing over the keys of No 10 to Gordon Brown.
Mr Prescott confirmed that he wore a cowboy outfit during his controversial visit to a ranch owned by US billionaire Philip Anschultz, which he was reprimanded for by the Common standards committee for not declaring the visit.
Asked whether he had seen the Stetson hat, boots and belt allegedly given to him as a gift, he responded: “Of course I have seen them, I wore them – I wore them on the day because I went round the ranch, looking at how a ranch works in that sense.”
Mr Prescott is facing fresh embarrassment over why he did not declare the outfit to Customs on his return last year in line with the ministerial code of conduct.
But he insisted the outfit was “properly recorded” and there had been no “undue influence” concerning his trip to Colorado.
The deputy prime minister added he “bitterly regretted” the affair with Tracy Temple, his diary secretary.
