Prescott ends subsidised flat dispute

John Prescott has finally given up his battle to hang on to a union flat he has rented at a subsidised rate for more than three decades.

The Deputy Prime Minister was fighting to avoid an eviction order being sought by Bob Crow, the left-wing leader of the RMT transport union. The union wants to develop the site in Clapham, south London, for "affordable" housing for local residents but Mr Prescott sought to keep the accommodation as a useful pied-à-terre in the capital. He was paying £230 a month but estate agents said a more realistic price for a two-bedroom flat in the area would be £1,600.

The eviction case went to Wandsworth county court last month and was postponed to the new year, but Mr Prescott suddenly decided to hand back the keys.