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

Lord Cameron has described how his mother, Mary, appealed to his sister to end her life as Alzheimer’s disease advanced. He says watching the once bright and strong woman lose her independence has driven his campaign for better access to treatments that could slow the disease.

Mary Cameron, a magistrate for 30 years, died aged 90 last year, six years after diagnosis. Medicines licensed in 2024 can slow Alzheimer’s progression by about a third, but have been rejected for routine NHS use on cost-effectiveness grounds. Cameron urged NHS leaders to act, while a fundraising appeal for dementia-carer courses has passed its first £100,000 target, enough to fund nearly 3,000 courses.