Brighton councillors remember John Prescott

Many have been remembering Lord Prescott’s role in securing the Falmer site for the Amex, the home of Brighton and Hove Albion, but others have remembered his involvement in a controversy over pasties.

Dozens of people clambered for free sausage rolls, pasties and pizzas outside Gregg’s in North Street, Brighton, as Mr Prescott handed them out dressed as a baker.

Dozens of people clambered for free sausage rolls, pasties and pizzas outside Gregg’s in North Street, Brighton, as Mr Prescott handed them out dressed as a baker (Image: The Argus) The media event in 2012 was a protest against the Conservative government’s so called “pasty tax”, a plan to impose 20% VAT on hot takeaway food like pasties and sausage rolls.

Prescott slammed Ben Duncan, a Green Brighton and Hove City Council cabinet member who tweeted: “Who gives a f*** about pasties?”

Councillor Duncan later apologised after discovering Forfars Bakery, with a shop in his Queen’s Park ward, would lose £250,000 a year because of 20 per cent VAT that would be added to hot food.

At the time Mr Prescott said: “I expect outrageous comments from the Greens. But this is beyond belief.

“This company is going to lose £250,000 a year and more lost jobs.

“I do think people are really annoyed about this tax. They cut tax for millionaires and put it on pasties.

“It is fundamentally wrong.

“The Government is out of touch. They changed their stance on petrol within three days. We can do it with the Brighton Pasty Campaign.”

Former leader of Brighton and Hove City Council Warren Morgan took to social media to share his memory of the moment.

He said: “It was the kind of thing Prescott was incredibly good at. I’d seen him a few times since my Hull days at Conference and other events, but close up in a media scrum that day he was really on form.”

The pasty tax fiasco led to the Conservative government doing a U-turn and two months later the plan was ditched.

John Prescott joined former council leader Nancy Platts on her campaign trail (Image: Nancy Platts) Nancy Platts, former leader of Brighton and Hove City Council reminisced on the time Lord Prescott supported her canvassing. She said: “I was thrilled when he came down to Brighton to support me on the campaign trail in 2015.

“People were so surprised to answer the door and see him and he seemed to really enjoy that – he was great fun and great company. Such a lovely man.”