JOHN Prescott has backed the man touted to replace Gordon Brown, saying David Miliband is “brilliant” and a future leader of the Labour Party.

The comments come days after Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, refused to rule out standing for the post. He is rumoured to be the strongest potential challenger to Brown and his supporters are said to be urging him to prepare for a leadership election.

But Prescott, who famously struggled to communicate clearly during his time as deputy Labour Leader, also said the current Prime Minister is still the “best man” for the job.

Speaking at the Hay festival in Wales, he was asked about the youthful 42-year-old foreign secretary, and said: “He is quite a brilliant man and he will be one of our leaders.”

Any talk of leadership rebellion was quashed during the hour-long interview with John Harris in front of a packed marquee.

Prescott urged Labour party members to back their leader in the wake of the disastrous Crewe and Nantwich by-election results, economic turmoil, and 10p tax troubles, or “pay a heavy price”.

“People have written off the Labour Party time and time again over the last 18 years,” he said.

“That is not to say we haven’t got a difficult situation - we have. People have given us a good kicking. I think Gordon is the best man to deal with these problems.”

Prescott said his years in opposition during the 1970s and 80s taught him that you “pay a heavy price if you don’t get behind your leader”.

Prescott was publicising his autobiography, Prezza, My Story: Pulling no Punches.

In the book he says little about his infamous affair with Tracey Temple, his diary secretary, but told the audience: “I felt like I let everybody down - myself, my family and I thought I had let my party down.

“I made a mistake. I didn’t whine about it. I owned up to it and I had to take the consequences for it. Thank God my family gave me support.”

Prescott also said he had received letters of support by bulimia sufferers after The Sunday Times revealed he suffered with the condition.

He backed former Prime Minister Tony Blair, saying he could still help bring peace to the Middle East in his role as a special envoy, despite his involvement in the Iraq war.

“A lot of people still trust him there,” said Prescott. “He may still have a part to play.”

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