John Prescott’s son joins Greens
David Prescott, Son of Former Deputy PM, Defects to Green Party
Sky News has uncovered that David Prescott, the son of Labour’s former deputy prime minister John Prescott, has officially become a member of the Green Party. The transition occurred in October 2025, a year following his father’s passing.
In a Facebook post, Mr. Prescott is pictured with Green activists in Gorton and Denton, where the party secured its first by-election victory last week. The caption reads: “What. A. Day. Hope Beat Hate.”
“David was born into the Labour Party and like myself he was from a rock-solid socialist and trade union family,” said Karl Turner, who took over John Prescott’s former seat in Hull East during the 2010 general election. He added, “Again like myself, David was politically active from a very young age. David was always his own man not his old man.”
Karl Turner described the defection as “hugely disappointing” but “no surprise.” He speculated that John Prescott would be “furious” if he were still alive, with his anger likely directed at Labour for allowing progressive voters to shift to a more left-leaning alternative.
The Greens’ success in Gorton and Denton has intensified fears within Labour that the party faces a dual threat: losing votes to Reform on the right and progressive supporters to the Greens on the left. Disillusionment stems from issues like Labour’s stance on the war in Gaza.
A YouGov poll for Sky News revealed that the Green Party surged to second place in a sensational result, climbing four points to 21%. The pollster attributed this growth to the publicity generated by the Gorton and Denton by-election.
David, one of John’s two sons with his wife Pauline, previously ran for Labour in several constituencies, including his father’s East Hull seat and others such as Greenwich and Woolwich. However, he was not selected as a candidate in these races. In 2015, he secured a Labour nomination for Gainsborough but lost to Conservative MP Edward Leigh.
In 2017, he was suspended from his role as Jeremy Corbyn’s aide after harassment allegations, though he denied the claims. The party did not suspend his membership at the time until a formal complaint was filed.
“David has not publicly spoken about joining the Greens out of respect to friends who are still Labour members, councillors, and MPs,” said a Green Party source. “But he was one of 2,000 people who came to Gorton and Denton to help get Hannah elected, and we thank him for his support.”
The by-election loss has been overshadowed by the escalating Middle East conflict, ignited by US and Israeli airstrikes on Iran, prompting some Labour MPs to question the current leadership’s direction. John Trickett, representing Normanton and Hemsworth, tweeted, “Labour lost votes in every direction, a problem replicated nationwide.” Another MP criticized the government for alienating its core supporters and urged a fundamental change in Labour’s approach to regain progressive votes.
The prime minister admitted the Gorton and Denton performance had been “very disappointing” but emphasized that by-election losses are not uncommon for incumbent governments, vowing to “keep fighting” despite the setbacks.
