LONDON — The father of British Prime Minister David Cameron has died after suffering a stroke while on holiday in France, Downing Street said yesterday.
“It is with deep regret we can confirm that Ian Cameron died earlier this afternoon,” a statement said. “He passed away shortly after the prime minister arrived at the hospital in France where he was undergoing treatment.”
Cameron rushed from London to the bedside of his 77-year-old father, who was being treated in the Mediterranean port of Toulon,
yesterday after he was taken ill.
An AFP reporter said shortly before the statement was issued that Cameron and other family members had been driven away from the hospital in a convoy of six cars just after 5.
The British premier’s parents are believed to have been halfway through a two-week holiday when his father was taken ill. He had a stroke and also suffered heart complications, Downing Street said.
Ian Cameron was born with a condition that left his legs severely deformed from the knees downwards.
In recent years, his lower legs were amputated and he used an electric wheelchair to get around. He was also blind in one eye. — AFP