Lord Prescott gets Labour's vote for Humberside police commissioner job
Lord Prescott has secured Labour's vote in his bid to become Humberside's first police and crime commissioner.
He beat rival Keith Hunter, the former senior officer with Humberside Police, to be Labour's candidate for the high-profile job.
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Lord Prescott speaking at an event at Forest Pines, near Broughton
Now, the peer, MP for Hull East for 40 years before stepping down at the last General Election, is to return to frontline politics by stepping up his campaign to secure the £75,000-a-year post.
He will stand against East Riding councillor Matthew Grove, the only Conservative to throw his hat in the ring so far, in the election in November.
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The role of police and crime commissioner will replace Humberside Police Authority when it is abolished later this year.
People living in the four local authority areas covered by Humberside Police – Hull, the East Riding, North-East Lincolnshire and North Lincolnshire, will go to the polls on November 15, with the commissioner expected to take office a week later.
Lord Prescott said last night: "I have won and I'm delighted to do so.
"I want to be the champion of the people and their voice on policing matters.
"I am looking forward to the campaign and getting my message across."
Lord Prescott, Deputy Prime Minister during Tony Blair's time at Downing Street, was selected by his party after both he and Mr Hunter were interviewed by the Labour's National Executive Committee.
They also went head-to-head at hustings, with Labour Party members given the chance to put questions to both candidates before casting their votes.
"I will be going around every town, every village and the city, through urban and rural areas, to speak to people young and old to deliver the people's voice on crime and policing.
"I never assumed to know exactly what people want and my job now is to go out to the north and south banks, to the east and the west, to take to people about what they want and to share my ideas."
Mr Hunter, a former divisional commander of police in Hull, is understood to have been informed of the results of the vote.
All 2,200 Labour Party members were sent a ballot paper asking them to vote for their preferred candidate and their papers had to be returned by Friday.
Mr Hunter, who resigned from his job as heading the police in Hull to enter the race, built his campaign around his experience as an officer.
But, in the end, Labour voters turned once more to John Prescott, putting their faith in the Labour Party stalwart who held his seat in Hull from 1970 until he stepped down in 2010.
A former ship's steward and trade union activist, Lord Prescott played a key role in British politics, seen as the Labour Party's "fixer" in the tense relationship between Mr Blair and the then-Chancellor Gordon Brown.
Shortly after retiring as an MP, Lord Prescott entered the House of Lords with the title Baron Prescott of Kingston upon Hull in the County of East Yorkshire.
Despite his departure from the House of Commons, Lord Prescott has never been far from the headlines, championing the fight against phone hacking by journalists working for Rupert Murdoch's stable of national newspapers at News International.
He appeared at the Leveson Inquiry in February after receiving a £40,000 settlement over phone hacking and criticised the handling of the investigation by the Met.
His popularity has soared in recent times due to his humorous quips and political attacks on Twitter, building up an army of almost 140,000 followers.
Comments
by Bill_Igerent
Wednesday, June 20 2012, 9:00AM
“@Neil Thanks for that.
My information is that any provision for deputy PCC/s will require a Police and Crime Panel hearing and, that there could be more than one. As you infer -particularly in Prescotts case- no doubt the PCC will give them the nod and will be responsible for the actual appointment.
For the potential implications of these Deputy PCC's additional salaries/costs on the tax payer and Police budgets and, for an interesting take on this:
http://tinyurl.com/6rc6ofk
Interesting that after two challenges Keith Hunter and now the man himself are still reluctant to rule out the possibility of Keith running as and/or becoming Prescott's deputy, IF subsequently elected?!
That astute, opportunist Team Prezza express will try every trick in the book to railroad their man into getting his feet well and truly under that Humberside PCC desk!! Even if, to make Prescott electable, it means having to get Keith Hunter "fully on board" AND getting dirty and dirty with any of their opponents!!??
No doubt Prezza will continue to exploit the saga of and, the outcomes from the stewarding and volunteering for the Olympics...and any other blah, blah!! to delude the naive, gullible and those amongst his dimwit, nasty, devious Labourites and lefty followers.
Some of us can already look forward to a "priceless" performance by Lord & Lady P on Mr and Mrs! Come back Piers Morgan [Prezza's Life Story!!!???]; all is forgiven.
One thing is certain wherever Prescott and his yak, yak, yak goes! We are in for an interesting and bruising encounter, and especially going off Matthew Grove's initial stance:
http://tinyurl.com/7ocg9oz”
by NeilEyre
Tuesday, June 19 2012, 4:03PM
“Bill,
according to the info i have received from the electoral commission so far, the deputy is not elected but is given his position by the duly elected PCC. No doubt the party candidate will put the party runner up into this spot. Ive been told the deputies salary could be as much as £60K”
by Bill_Igerent
Tuesday, June 19 2012, 10:15AM
“Labours Yvonne Mosquito has just announced that she is running with Lab candidate Bob Jones as Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner for West Mids.
Pre Labour's PCC ballot, unsurprisingly Prescott ruled out playing 2nd fiddle to Keith Hunter! I have challenged Keith Hunter as to his intentions and so far, to no avail!!??
For one reason and another; none more so than the motivations of the final ballot figures and the majority public response/revulsion to #JP4PCC in the HDM/ST & GET web pages.I will wager my pension that the same stunt has to be on the Labour party's cards for its PCC running ticket here in Humberside.
Which then begs the question as to the level of salary for a Deputy, on top of the £75K already laid down for the PCC?! And more importantly who foots the bill?!! I know, stupid question!! :(”
by bobbygas61
Monday, June 18 2012, 10:09PM
“Why don,t we get Jedwood .
or the Chuckle Brothers”
by ewbfchamp
Monday, June 18 2012, 8:47PM
“Heaven help us !”
by Ellie408
Monday, June 18 2012, 7:03PM
“So does this mean that Keith Hunter cannot stand for the job? Surely he can still put himself forward? I sure hope so.”
by Bill_Igerent
Monday, June 18 2012, 5:02PM
“On a positive note, you have to tip your hat at Prescott the campaigner. At least there is one job that he has proven to be good at and successful at, along the way!
If only for his electability, Prescott deserves Labour and Labour deserves Prescott! Not so sure that Humberside deserve or need him?!
Out of disbelief and despair, one has to shudder at the prospect of him becoming our Police and Crime Commissioner given his well publicised proven track record!
I hope and trust that the conservatives and their candidate Michael Grove will now get their fingers out and, that Humbersiders will turnout and be far far more discerning than many local CLP members, come the November 15 PCC elections.
At a time of economic austerity and much international and domestic competition for inward investment, regeneration and scarce business and jobs opportunities. Surely Humberside can no longer afford to risk its image, reputation and future prospects; by sitting back and being seen to reward habitual incompetence. And allow this publicly discredited, embarrassing buffoon to now pick up such a high profile key public role AND lucrative salary/expenses to boot?!
Or can it?! Watch this space and that OLD Prescott Express!!”
by AnonTaxPayer
Monday, June 18 2012, 4:39PM
“NO. NO. NO. NO. NO.
Prescott. Never.”
by Sister_Wendy
Monday, June 18 2012, 4:17PM
“Thanks Neil, I will have a look. I won't tweet you because I don't know how!”
by englander61
Monday, June 18 2012, 4:13PM
“Do we really need this , retired on a more than average pension , member of house of lords , how many pay packets doe,s this man want . Again Police should be independent of any political party. Government's past and present have broken their word to us . The police should work for the people not politicians who sometimes ignore the wishes of the voters.”