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Cameron's disabled son Ivan dies | |
(20 minutes later) | |
Conservative leader David Cameron's eldest son Ivan has died in hospital. | Conservative leader David Cameron's eldest son Ivan has died in hospital. |
The six-year-old, who had cerebral palsy and epilepsy, became ill overnight and was taken to St Mary's hospital where he died early Wednesday. | |
A Conservative spokesman said: "David and Samantha would ask that their privacy is respected at this terribly difficult time." | |
Mr Cameron, who described Ivan as "wonderful", and wife Samantha have two younger children, Nancy and Arthur. | |
A Conservative Party statement said: "It is with great sadness that David and Samantha Cameron must confirm the death of their six-year-old son Ivan. | |
"Ivan, who suffered from cerebral palsy and severe epilepsy, was taken ill overnight and died at St Mary's Hospital, Paddington, early this morning." | |
Mr Cameron, who has been leader of the UK's official opposition since 2005, had been an MP for less than a year when Ivan was born in April 2002. | |
Describing the moment when he learned of Ivan's disabilities, Mr Cameron told the Sunday Times in 2005: "The news hits you like a freight train. | |
"You are depressed for a while because you are grieving for the difference between your hopes and the reality. But then you get over that, because he's wonderful." | |
The BBC's political editor Nick Robinson said Mr Cameron's experience of looking after Ivan, who needed round-the-clock care, had shaped Mr Cameron's character and his attitude to the NHS. |