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Prescott to Go on Tour to Salve Image

Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott is set to go on tour around Britain when Prime Minister Tony Blair relegates his duties of running the country to him as he goes on vacation next week.

The embattled deputy has already begun a five-day "dry run" of running the country while Blair is in a visit to the United States. Prescott will be taking over for a longer period, a month to be exact, once Blair heads off for his official holiday.

Prescott will then kick-off a tour of British regions upon taking over. A spokesman said: "He will be getting out of London and going around the country."

Prescott's schedule is still in the works, but his camp says that the regional visits will be about helping rundown communities and climate change.

The regional tour is viewed as an attempt to patch up the damaged image of Blair's second in command after the controversies that he has been involved in.

Prescott's image has taken a beating when it was disclosed that he had an affair with his diary secretary. He was also under heavy criticism following his stay at the ranch of Philip Anschutz, a super casino bidder.

Prescott has been regularly ridiculed in the Commons as well as in the media, and some senior Labour party members even have doubts about letting him run the country.