The moment John Prescott punched egg-throwing protester in the face

Watch: John Prescott punches protester in Wales

The death of Labour stalwart John Prescott has prompted politicians from all sides to pay tribute to the one-of-a-kind parliamentarian.

But while they are focusing on the former deputy prime minister’s political achievements, it is the infamous egg-throwing incident that many are remembering today.

In what has now become a defining moment in Prescott's political life, he hit the headlines after striking the head of a protester in 2001 while out on the general election campaign in Wales.

Protester Craig Evans, a 23-year-old from Cardiff, was in the crowd and upset over the Labour government’s controversial fuel tax hikes. When Prescott was greeting the crowd, Evans threw an egg which struck Prescott in the face.

Politicians being pelted with eggs is something that some have had to endure over the years. However, Prescott’s reaction to being pelted was not typical for MPs.

Prescott, visibly stunned at first, very quickly recovered and immediately launched a punch at Evans, hitting him in his jaw and sending him tumbling.

The pair then briefly tussled before they were separated – but the cameras on sight caught the entire brawl. The sight of Prescott, a former shipyard worker and tough-talking politician, retaliating was quickly broadcast across the nation.

Prescott’s swift and physical response was met with divided reactions from politicians and the press alike. A number of newspaper surveys carried out after the punch suggested the public supported his actions.

However, the punch was widely criticised in other quarters, particularly by political opponents. Conservative Party leader at the time, William Hague, said: “No doubt he was a bit rattled because it was a day when Tony Blair and [home secretary] Jack Straw had actually spoken to some people around the country and found out the reality of what was going on in this country and that people are not satisfied with the performance of the government."

Tony Blair defended Prescott at the time, saying: “Of course it would have been better if the whole thing hadn't happened, but I want to say something to you about John Prescott. You could not wish for a deputy more loyal, more true and more decent.

"He cares about his country and he cares passionately about his politics but John is John and I'm lucky to have him as my deputy... He regrets the whole incident ever happened. He felt a blow on the side of his head and reacted instinctively."

The press reaction was similarly mixed. The Sun were quick to portray Prescott as a “tough guy” who had “defended democracy,” and dubbed him "Two Jabs" – an allusion to his nickname of "Two Jags", after his love of expensive official cars. However, others were critical of his lack of restraint.

The Times editorial called the punch “an unfortunate reaction” and cautioned that such behaviour “undermines the professionalism expected of public servants.

When asked by journalists whether he regretted the punch, Prescott remained defiant, telling reporters at the time: “I was attacked by an individual. In the melee that followed I clearly defended myself.”

Prescott was interviewed by police but was not prosecuted.

The Crown Prosecution Service concluded there was no realistic chance of convicting him because he had acted in self-defence. Evans spent several hours in police custody but no action was taken against him either.

The incident did not dent Labour in the polls and in June that year – one month after the punch, Labour won a second term in government.

'He was a prat'

Reflecting on the incident in 2019, Prescott said: "When you get to being 80, you’re not scared of anything. I’ve got four or five years to think about death. 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."

Speaking after his death, Alastair Campbell, Labour's head of communications, recalled of the incident: "About half-an-hour after (the punch), I was with Tony Blair in Watford … and my phone went. We knew something had happened but we didn’t know what. My phone went and it was John Prescott and he said, ‘are you alright?’ I said, ‘yeah I’m fine. What’s going on?’ He said, ‘I’ve just thumped a bloke.’

"And I said, ‘what sort of bloke?’ He said, ‘just a bloke’. ‘Why’d you thump him?’ ‘He was a prat. He threw an egg at me’. I said, ‘John, honestly’.

"He said, ‘I know. I know. I’m my own worst enemy but I’m just telling you’ and then about a minute later he said, ‘by the way I’m not resigning. Tell him I’m not resigning’

“I remember we got into the car after Tony’s interview and I told Tony what happened. I described it to him. And he went, ‘oh god are we going to have to sack him?’ At which point the driver, Terry, and the special branch bloke in the front of the car both turned around at the same time and just went, ‘you what?’

“And what that said to us was that so far as the public was concerned, they completely understood why John Prescott thumped that bloke.”