Tonight:
4°c
'Ivan's death led me to wonder if I really wanted to do this'
Joe Murphy, Political Editor8 Oct 2009
David Cameron spoke movingly during his conference speech about the early deaths of his son Ivan and the daughter of Fiona Pilkington.
The Tory leader steeled himself to recall the death of Ivan, who was severely disabled and died suddenly, aged six, in February.
"When such a big part of your life suddenly ends nothing else, nothing outside, matters," he said.
"It's like the world has stopped turning and the clocks have stopped ticking. And as they slowly start again, weeks later, you ask yourself all over again: do I really want to do this? You think about what you really believe and what sustains you."
His wife Samantha listened intently in the audience but smiled when he relieved the tension by paying tribute to her: "I know what sustains me the most. She is sitting right there and I'm incredibly proud to call her my wife."
Mr Cameron also referred to Ivan's illness when he pledged his personal commitment to the NHS.
"I tell you, when you're carrying a child in your arms to Accident and Emergency in the middle of the night and don't have to reach for your wallet, it's a lot better than the alternative," he said. "So we will never change the idea at the heart of our NHS, that healthcare in this country is free at the point of use and available to everyone based on need, not ability to pay."
Fiona Pilkington, 38, from Barwell in Leicestershire, set fire to her car, killing herself and her disabled 18-year-old daughter Francecca, in October 2007.
They had been hounded by yobs and the tragedy clearly made a deep impression on Mr Cameron. He described the case in detail, and he seemed to empathise with the family's suffering.
"When I first read her story in the paper I found it difficult to finish the article - it's one of the saddest things I've ever read. Fiona was so driven to despair by the vile thugs that bullied her and her lovely disabled daughter Francecca and by the police that didn't answer her cries for help that she could only see one way out. She put her daughter in her car, drove to a lay-by, and set it on fire.
"If no one would protect them, then by ending their lives she was keeping them safe. No one could hurt them any more."
He added, angrily: "Just think about what we allowed to happen here in our country. This goes deep and it's been going on for years. It is about a breakdown of all the things that are meant to keep us safe...a complete breakdown of responsibility."
