Former deputy prime minister John Prescott has been admitted to hospital after suffering a stroke.

The Labour peer’s family confirmed the news in a statement.

It said: ‘John was taken to hospital last Friday after suffering a stroke.

‘We would like to praise the swift actions of the ambulance staff and the doctors and nurses at Hull Royal Infirmary’s A&E and stroke unit. They have been remarkable and we cannot thank them enough.

‘He is receiving excellent care from the NHS but we would respectfully request at this time that John and our family are given the privacy we need so that he can have the time and space to make a full recovery.

‘Thank you.’

Lord Prescott, 81, was appointed deputy prime minister by Tony Blair in 1997 and served in the position until 2007.

He resigned as deputy prime minister at the same time that Blair resigned as prime minister.

Following an election within the Labour party, he was replaced as deputy leader by Harriet Harman and retired as an MP in the 2010 general election.

On July 8, 2010, Mr Prescott entered the House of Lords as a life peer with the title Baron Prescott, of Kingston upon Hull in the County of East Yorkshire.

He returned to politics in 2015 as a special adviser to then-Labour leader Ed Miliband.

Labour MPs have taken to Twitter to post messages of support for the Labour stalwart.

Ilford North MP and member of the Treasury Committee, Wes Streeting, said: ‘Wishing John well – and looking forward to him being back in the tea room giving me a ticking off again soon!’

Angela Eagle, MP for Wallasey, said: ‘My first boss in government – get well soon John.’

Anna Turley, MP for Redcar, said: ‘Sad to hear this – wishing John well.’

A former trade union activist, Lord Prescott spent much of his time as deputy prime minister acting as a conciliator in the often turbulent relationship between Mr Blair and chancellor Gordon Brown.

While a loyal supporter of Mr Blair in office, in more recent years he has been critical of elements of New Labour’s legacy denouncing Britain’s involvement in the Iraq War.

He has strongly defended Jeremy Corbyn in the face of fierce criticism by other figures from the New Labour era.

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