‘We’re putting hope on the ballot’: Lord Prescott’s son David to stand for Greens in city council elections

‘MY FATHER WOULD SAY STAND UP FOR WHAT YOU BELIEVE IN AND THAT’S WHAT I’M DOING’: Green Party candidate David Prescott

EXCLUSIVE

By Simon Bristow, Co-Editor

Lord Prescott’s son David will stand as a Green Party candidate in next month’s Hull City Council elections.

David Prescott, who left the Labour Party for the Greens last October, will stand in his home ward of Sutton.

His wife Deborah Prescott, a former headteacher at Westcott Primary School in Hull, will also stand for the Greens in the Holderness ward.

Their candidacy was announced at the launch of the Hull and East Riding Green Party’s Local Elections campaign outside The Deep today, as the party revealed they would for the first time contest all 19 seats up for election on the city council on May 7.

Mr Prescott told The Hull Story: “It’s the first time we are putting hope on the ballot in Hull. I’m honoured to stand with these people who are from all walks of life – postal workers, campaigners, students, people in jobs and business.

“Even my wife’s standing. She voted Green in the past so she’s happy I’ve moved over. I think having people with that life experience will add a lot to the council.”

Mr Prescott campaigned for the Greens in their landmark by-election win in Gorton and Denton in Greater Manchester in February, and said he felt invigorated by it.

He said he had become disillusioned with Labour and decided to join the Greens because of the leadership of Zack Polanski, who has led the party since September 2025.

“I’d been unhappy for some time,” Mr Prescott said. “I just felt my values hadn’t changed but Labour’s had and I just felt a bit lost.

“After Zack was elected – I hadn’t followed the Green Party leadership before – but I started listening to his podcasts and when he was on TV and thought, my God, he’s actually saying things I believe in and what Labour used to be like – about social justice, fairness, the environment, helping to generate green jobs.

“He was just speaking in a way that people understand; no spin, people coming up with different types of words, just being honest and accessible. I just decided to cancel my [Labour] membership and join the Greens and I’ve no regrets. I’ve still got friends in Labour.”

LAUNCH: The Greens will contest every seat in next month’s city council elections

He said campaigning in Gorton and Denton had reminded him of working for former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.

He said: “I had the same feeling as working with Jeremy in 2017. I just felt great to get that back again. I was out with people who’d never been in politics before. For us it was such a positive campaign.

“That was Labour’s sixth-safest seat. And for the first time it showed when it matters the Greens can beat Labour and beat Reform as well.”

Mr Prescott, the founder of Hull PR and social media consultancy Larkin PR, said of the forthcoming council elections: “What we are seeing is the end of two-party politics in Hull and I think that’s a good thing. You can now vote more with your heart. As with Gorton and Denton, if enough people vote Green you get a Green representative.

“I think we just need that kind of shake-up. I think we are going to see no overall control and we are going to have to work together to find that common ground and drive this city forward.”

His father John, a Labour stalwart, was the UK’s longest-serving deputy prime minister and Hull East MP for 40 years. He died in November 2024 aged 86.

Asked what he thought his father would think of him leaving Labour for the Greens, Mr Prescott said: “My father spent 40 years serving the people of this city. He was proud to live here, proud to bring his family up here, and all he ever wanted to do was help people in need, help businesses, help the city move forward.

“I think he’d probably think you should stand up for what you believe in, do what’s right, and I think that’s what I’m doing.”

The Greens have emerged as a real force in national politics under Polanski’s leadership, with membership in England and Wales passing the 200,000 mark in March.

Stewart Arnold, the party’s local coordinator, said he is hopeful of making a breakthrough in the city council elections, with candidates campaigning under the slogan “Hull deserves better”.

He said: “I am very proud to be offering every person in Hull an opportunity to vote for a candidate that will make a real difference to their lives. From action against fly-tipping and antisocial behaviour to rising bills and clamping down on rogue landlords, there’s a lot the Green Party can do in Hull.”