Cameron's Father Dies After Suffering Stroke While on Vacation in France
U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron’s father died today, shortly after his son arrived at his bedside. Ian Cameron suffered a stroke and heart complications while on vacation in the south of France.
“It is with deep regret that we can confirm Ian Cameron died earlier this afternoon,” Cameron’s spokesman, Steve Field, told reporters in London, reading from a statement. “He passed away shortly after the prime minister arrived at the hospital in France where he was undergoing treatment.”
Cameron flew to France earlier today from London’s City Airport, missing his weekly question-and-answer session in Parliament. Ian Cameron, who was 77, was in hospital in Toulon. French President Nicolas Sarkozy provided a helicopter to transport Cameron to the hospital.
Cameron only returned to work two days ago after a vacation in Cornwall, southwest England, that was interrupted by the birth of his fourth child, Florence. Field told reporters that the premier had no warning about his father’s illness and had attended an awards ceremony in London last night.
Even though Ian Cameron was born with deformed legs, he still played cricket and tennis, only expressing regret that he couldn’t ski, according to his son’s biography “David Cameron - - the Rise Of The New Conservative.” He would eventually follow his father in becoming a partner at stockbrokers Panmure Gordon.
Legs Amputated
In the early 1990s one of his legs was amputated, and in 2006 the second was removed. The same year he lost the sight in one eye. At this point, according to the book, he was prepared to concede he was disabled.
Cameron’s father visited his son both at No. 10 Downing Street, the London residence of British prime ministers, and at Chequers, the country residence, after David took power in May at the head of a coalition of Conservatives and Liberal Democrats.
“Ian has vast enthusiasm, which Dave has inherited,” the biography quoted family friend Susan Rathbone as saying. “And a sort of unstoppableness which I’m sure is very inspirational to live with.”
Cameron’s brother Alex and one of his sisters were also at the hospital in Toulon today.
Standing in for Cameron at the question-and-answer session with lawmakers, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg came under attack from the Labour opposition about Cameron’s communications chief, Andy Coulson.
Coulson faces allegations that when he was editor of Rupert Murdoch’s News of the World newspaper, he was aware staff tapped mobile phones. Coulson has agreed to meet police to be questioned about new evidence and denies that he knew anything about the tapping.
To contact the reporters on this story: Kitty Donaldson in London at kdonaldson1@bloomberg.net; Robert Hutton in London at rhutton1@bloomberg.net.
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