“Giant”, “titan”, “the Labour Party could never have won three consecutive terms without John”.
The reward heaped on John Prescott who died on Wednesday is proof that the job of deputy prime minister is price having.
It could be extra influential than the vice presidency of the USA, famously dismissed by one VP, John Nance Garner, as “not worth a bucket of warm piss”.
Vice presidents are mandated by the US structure. They’re “only a heartbeat away” from assuming the Oval Workplace if the sitting president dies all of the sudden – as occurred when Lyndon Johnson was sworn in instantly after John F Kennedy’s assassination – or resigns, as with Richard M Nixon and Gerald Ford.
There isn’t a assure that they are going to be elected in their very own proper after years as a pissed off and ignored quantity two: George HW Bush and Joe Biden made the transition to the White Home at a subsequent election, whereas Al Gore and Kamala Harris didn’t.
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There have solely been 9 official deputy prime ministers in British historical past. Pic: Reuters
The UK just isn’t obliged to have a deputy prime minister (DPM). There have solely been 9 formally acknowledged as such in British political historical past.
Nonetheless, a few of the most influential politicians of recent instances have been DPM together with Clement Attlee, Michael Heseltine, John Prescott, Nick Clegg, and now doubtlessly Angela Rayner.
Then there’s the roster of main figures, crucial to their governments’ successes who’ve been de facto DPMs in all however identify, akin to Herbert Morrison, Anthony Eden, Rab Butler, Geoffrey Howe and Willie Whitelaw.
Margaret Thatcher is alleged to have declared: “Every prime minister needs a Willie.”
As befits an workplace that Labour’s Prescott occupied with such distinction, the primary designated DPM was Labour’s undisputed hero Attlee.
The Conservative prime minister Winston Churchill wished his Labour deputy within the wartime coalition authorities to be formally recognised.
Attlee was billed as DPM in Hansard, the official parliamentary document, however King George VI complained there was no such factor underneath the structure.
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Sir Winston Churchill appointed Labour’s Clement Attlee to his wartime cupboard. Pic: PA
Monarchs may be jealous of their notional proper to decide on the prime minister. Attlee went on to turn into prime minister in his personal proper, ousting Churchill within the 1945 Normal Election.
The title of DPM was then in abeyance for the following 50 years till prime minister John Main introduced it again for Michael Heseltine, who had helped him win a management problem.
“Hezza” was already a veteran cupboard minister whose personal earlier efforts to steer the Conservative Social gathering had failed. With the extra title of first secretary of state (FSS), he relished the chance to chair cupboard committees and argue for nearer ties to the EU.
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John Main introduced the position again for Michael Heseltine. Pic: Reuters
By the Nineties, the Labour Social gathering had began electing each its chief and deputy chief. Prescott stood for each jobs.
Whereas he was comfortably defeated by Tony Blair for prime minister, he beat Margaret Beckett for deputy. Prescott turned DPM nearly routinely when Labour took energy in 1997.
He stayed within the job for 10 years because the tough to Blair’s easy – a vital bridge from the outdated Labour’s union-dominated politics to New Labour’s massive tent and a troubleshooter within the rivalry between Blair and Gordon Brown.
Prescott resigned with Blair in 2007. Harriet Harman was elected deputy Labour chief however didn’t obtain the formal title of DPM.
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John Prescott served as DPM for 10 years underneath Tony Blair. Pic: PA
It returned in super-charged kind when the Conservative David Cameron shaped a coalition authorities with the Liberal Democrats in 2010.
Since Nick Clegg commanded the swing votes which the federal government wanted to make legal guidelines, he was essentially the most highly effective DPM but, as he defined “we had to create a sort of two-headed, bicephalous way of making decisions”.
The Conservatives received energy on their very own in 2015 and had no DPMs till 2021. Cameron made do with George Osborne as simply FSS.
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Nick Clegg was essentially the most highly effective DPM to this point as a part of the coalition authorities. Pic: PA
Theresa Could gave the identical title to Damian Inexperienced within the post-Brexit referendum chaos. When Inexperienced resigned on account of scandal, the then Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster David Lidington was often known as “the de facto deputy prime minister” with out being made both FSS or DPM.
Because the turnover of Conservative leaders accelerated, Boris Johnson made Dominic Raab FSS after which upgraded him to DPM.
Liz Truss additionally appointed Therese Coffey as her short-lived DPM. Rishi Sunak then introduced again Raab as DPM, earlier than Oliver Dowden changed him.
None of those deputies have been paid any further above their ministerial salaries. They loved no particular authority or powers and no assure that they’d take over if the prime minister was incapacitated or away – though Raab was put in briefly when Boris Johnson was in hospital with COVID.
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Dominic Raab briefly led the nation whereas Boris Johnson was in hospital. Pic: Reuters
The chance to face in at PMQs when the prime minister is away has been downgraded now that the chief of the opposition sends in a deputy as nicely.
Rayner and Dowden each appeared to take pleasure in their oft-repeated “Battle of the Gingers”. Kemi Badenoch says she plans to fluctuate the substitutes she sends in to face the DPM.
No DPM, FSS or “de facto” since Attlee and Eden within the Nineteen Fifties has gone on to be prime minister.
Probably the most profitable DPMs – akin to Heseltine and Prescott – have been extra vibrant personalities than their bosses and have become fashionable family figures whereas loyally supplying the center to their governments.
In addition they managed to drive via their most treasured political priorities: Heseltine and Clegg each held again the Conservatives from calling a referendum on EU membership.
Prescott was a driving drive for progressive Labour Social gathering reform, for devolution, and in committing the UK to the Kyoto Protocol on local weather change.
Intriguingly, Labour now have an elected deputy chief and DPM who appears to have a lot in frequent with Prescott.
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September: Deputy PM – ‘The Tories failed Britain’
Rayner has additionally climbed up from a troubled working-class background by way of the commerce union motion.
She hails from the North of England and has a equally blunt and idiosyncratic means of expressing herself in distinction to the north London lawyer model of her chief.
She too finds herself a member of a triangle made up of PM, DPM and chancellor of the exchequer. She has described herself as “John Prescott in a skirt”.
Rayner has a terrific position mannequin as DPM to emulate – she might even have the time and area to surpass him in significance.
