David Cameron fights back tears as he tells of his grief for son Ivan, 6, in interview aired hours after The Guardian accused him of ‘privileged pain’
DAVID Cameron fought back tears as he revealed tragic son Ivan “suffered so much” in an emotional TV interview.
The former Prime Minister, 52, opened up about his late son, who was born with neurological disorder Ohtahara syndrome and died in 2009 aged six.
The former Tory leader spoke candidly in an ITV interview about Ivan’s struggle that aired just hours after a Guardian editorial accused him of “privileged pain”.
He said: “I think the difficult thing was that he—he suffered so much.
“He sometimes would have, you know, 20, 30, 40 seizures in a day that when I think about it a lot, you do go back to the incredibly painful and difficult times that he had.
“You know no one wants to see your first child being born and being so challenged in that way and — you don’t want that to happen to anyone, least of all yourself.
“But when you do look back, this sort of charge of looking after someone so special.”
Mr Cameron had a quote engraved on his son’s gravestone which he said summed up the love and grief he has felt.
‘PRIVILEGED PAIN’
It says: “I love the boy with the utmost love of which my soul is capable and he is taken from me.
“Yet in the agony of my spirit in surrendering such a treasure, I feel a thousand times richer than if I’d never possess it.”
The interview was broadcast just hours after The Guardian published an editorial saying Mr Cameron only ever suffered from “privileged pain”.
We told earlier how Piers Morgan blasted the newspaper for their “absolutely disgusting” editorial stating the ex-PM had only felt “privileged pain” over the death of his disabled son Ivan.
The broadcaster called on the newspaper to issue Mr Cameron with a public apology, adding: “What kind of mind would write that?”
Viewers reacted online with a number of Twitter users sympathising with Mr Cameron.
One tweeted: “I was utterly disgusted at The Guardian’s shameful comment. Tough time to be expected to still run a country whilst grieving the death of a child. I thought the Wordsworth quote a good choice.”
Another, Samee Khan, said: “Hearing David Cameron talk so movingly about his late son Ivan in the Cameron interview, the Guardian should be ashamed of itself”.
Ryan Sheehan wrote: “His apologies also seemed very sincere and it was upsetting to watch when the subject turned to Ivan, it was visible to see how much the death of his beloved son has affected him.
“I’m looking forward to buying Cameron’s book as I really liked him as PM.”
Rory Jennings added: “Watching David Cameron talking about his son, Ivan is heart wrenching. That piece in The Guardian was an utter disgrace and as a result.”
Another added: “David Cameron, whilst I vehemently disagree with your approach to politics, I can completely identify with you as a father and a human being.
“I don’t know how you continued after losing your son. God bless.”
BORIS BLAST
In the interview he also said Boris Johnson was WRONG for calling a Parliament shutdown and has urged him to give rebels back the whip or the Tories could face “disaster”.
The former PM accused Bo-Jo of trying to “restrict the debate” on Brexit – but said he didn’t believe his old friend had done anything “illegal”.
During an interview with ITV Mr Cameron also said he “regretted” the political turmoil Brexit had caused the country.
The former Tory PM held the EU referendum in 2016 before quitting No10 in July that year.
CAM SLAM
On Mr Johnson’s move to suspend – or prorogue Parliament – he said: “I don’t think to me it looked illegal.
“It looked to me, from the outside, like the rather sharp practice of trying to restrict the debate.
“And I thought it was actually from his point of view quite counter-productive.
“In the end we have to work through Parliament, and you can’t deny the arithmetic of parliament.”
RESTORE WHIP OR FACE ‘DISASTER’
Mr Johnson faced criticism across the Commons for sacking 21 Tory rebels who voted against the government to allow a block on Brexit until next year.
Among those given the chop were former Chancellor Philip Hammond and grandson of Winston Churchill, Sir Nicholas Soames.
Mr Cameron called on Mr Johnson to restore the whip to the outcast MPs or the Tories could face dire consequences.
The former Witney MP said: “I obviously disagree with the idea of taking the whip from 21 moral hard-working, loyal, conservatives.
“I think that it was a bad decision.
I obviously disagree with the idea of taking the whip from 21 moral hard-working, loyal, conservatives. If it isn’t reversed it would be disastrous.
David Cameron
“If it isn’t reversed it would be disastrous, it will be I think a disastrous decision.
“I hope that Boris will get a deal in Brussels, he will come back, try and Parliament together to that deal.
“I don’t see why those 21 people shouldn’t be restored to the Conservative whip. If they’re not, I really worry about what could happen.”
Mr Cameron also said he felt “sorry” about the “state the country’s got into” after the EU referendum and added that he had “failed”.
“Do I feel responsibility for that? Yes. It was my referendum, my campaign my decision to try and renegotiate”, he said.
“And I accept all of those things and people, including those watching this programme; will have to decide how much blame to put on me.
“But I accept and I – you know, I can’t put it more bluntly than this – I accept that attempt failed.”
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