Prezza the Taff

John Prescott's pride in his background appears to be a little ambivalent.

“I’m constantly going back to my Welsh roots," the Prestatyn-born former deputy PM told the Western Mail in June. "I came from mining stock and had family in the Wrexham and Ruabon areas. It’s always good to return to Wales – though I wasn’t too happy about getting an egg chucked at me during the 2001 election and I clipped the guy."

Sky News political editor Adam Boulton reveals a slightly different patriotism in his memoirs, recalling Prezza's reluctance to appear on Sky after the Rumble in Rhyl during the 2001 election campaign:

"I had got on well with both Prescott and his wife and missed his amusing contributions to our programme: Prescott swearing loudly and repeatedly during a taped interview because he was being put off by 'that f***ing Taff speaking f***taff'."

The "f***ing Taff" in question was Denzil Davies, a former Treasury Minister and MP for Llanelli.

Given the North Wales police investigation into Tony Blair's reported comments about the "f***ing Welsh", perhaps this is another one for Brunstrom's Bobbies?