Prescott hits back over own homes

John Prescott angrily labelled a television journalist a "silly girl" today when she questioned him about his four homes.

The Deputy Prime Minister, notorious for his short fuse, hit out at ITN's Libby Wiener as she put him on the spot over the cost of his accommodation at a housing conference in London.

As cameras rolled, he accused her of quizzing him about "silly nonsense" when he wanted to focus on the drive to provide cheap housing for key workers.

While cameras stopped, he rounded on 44-year-old Ms Wiener - who has more than 20 years' experience in TV reporting - labelling her a "silly girl".

Ms Wiener had asked the Deputy Prime Minister how he could justify the £1.1million public cost - revealed in official figures today - of accommodating him in 18th-century Admiralty House for the past five years.

Mr Prescott also owns an eight-bedroom home in Hull and rents a two-bedroom flat in Clapham at £220 a month, as well as having the use of Dorneywood in Buckinghamshire.

As he answered questions about low-cost housing, Ms Wiener said: "You don't think this is a bit rich coming from a Cabinet minister on whom the taxpayer has spent £1million on his home? There are four homes that you have...."

John Prescott replied: "I don't have four homes - what are they?"

"The Admiralty..." "The Admiralty, yes."

"You have the use of Dorneywood." "It's not my home that I live in. I visit once a month. This is nonsense. Let me say this. Teachers, policemen want to live better. How can I help them get a key house? You've come along with your stupid nonsense and made this kind of comment when I've convened a conference like this to be able to provide homes for people who can't afford them, who want affordable homes. You should be questioning me about that."

"What people want to know is how you can justify having so many homes yourself." "These are houses which in fact belong to every cabinet minister who security requires to live in London. Quite frankly, I don't want to keep going through this. It's deplorable that you want to turn a conference about affordable homes into this silly nonsense. I have to live in London.... Anybody who lives in two places has to have two homes. I own one house. I own a Jaguar. I feel quite annoyed with your stupid kind of questioning."

"Some people might say you should be setting a better example." I have to live in Hull. My family's in Hull and I have to live in the constituency. How do I solve it ? You tell me. Do I have to have a home in both or do I catch the train every night?"

"Do you think you can justify living in a flat owned by the RMT?" "For 30 years I lived in flat as an MP. I have kept the flat. I may not be a Cabinet minister tomorrow and I might be out and I'll need accommodation. I'll still have to live in Hull and I'll still have to live in London. Why do you want to make an issue of that?"