David Cameron's dementia-hit mother pleaded with her daughter: 'Will you kill me? You know how to do it'

Detailed summary

The former Prime Minister says as the disease took hold, Mary Cameron, a magistrate for three decades, became increasingly forgetful and unsure where she was.

Published: 00:57 GMT, 15 November 2026 | Updated: 00:58 GMT, 15 November 2026

Lord Cameron has revealed his Alzheimer's-stricken mother pleaded with his sister: 'Will you kill me? You know how to do it.'

The former Prime Minister says as the disease took hold, Mary Cameron, a magistrate for three decades, became increasingly forgetful and unsure where she was.

He witnessed a 'super bright', strong character gradually slipping into a 'world of darkness'.

At her lowest ebb, she would appeal to her daughter Clare to end her life. Lord Cameron, 60, recalls his sister replying: 'Mum, even if I did know how to kill you, I don't want to go to prison for murdering my mother.'

Mrs Cameron succumbed to the disease last year aged 90, six years after her initial diagnosis.

Lord Cameron tells the Telegraph her plight has driven his crusade for better access to innovative new treatments for Alzheimer's.

Drugs capable of slowing its progress by a third were licensed in 2024. But they have been rejected for routine NHS use on cost-effectiveness grounds.

Lord Cameron believes Andy Burnham is committed to addressing the dementia crisis but must push the NHS harder. 'We are cracking this disease,' he says.

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