David Cameron's son dies

Conservative Party leader David Cameron's disabled son Ivan died early today.

The six-year-old, who suffered from a rare cerebral palsy and severe epilepsy, was taken ill overnight and died at St Mary's Hospital in Paddington, London.

It is understood the Camerons were with him at the time of his death. Ivan, who required round-the-clock care all his life, was the eldest child of the Tory leader and his wife Samantha.

Today's Prime Minister's Questions, which Mr Cameron had been due to attend, was called off at Gordon Brown's suggestion.

The formal unveiling of a new portrait of ex-prime minister Lady Thatcher, which Mr Cameron was due to attend at Number 10 later today, has also been postponed.

The Prime Minister, whose own baby daughter died in 2002, told the Commons: "I know that in his all too brief life (Ivan) brought joy to all those around him and I know that for all the days of his life he was surrounded by his family's love.

"Every child is precious and irreplaceable and the death of a child is an unbearable sorrow that no parent should have to endure."

Shadow foreign secretary William Hague, standing in for Mr Cameron at the despatch box, thanked Mr Brown for his "heartfelt" comments.

Mr Hague told MPs he had spoken to Mr Cameron today, who wanted to pass on the family's thanks for their messages of condolence and say how "hugely grateful" they are to the NHS staff who have helped Ivan throughout his life.

Mr Hague said: "Ivan's six years of life were not easy ones. His parents lived with the knowledge for a long time that he could die young, but this has made their loss no less heart-breaking."

Mark Pritchard, Tory MP for the Wrekin, said: "This is a great personal tragedy for the whole of the Cameron family."

Mr and Mrs Cameron have two other children, Nancy, five, and Arthur, three.

By David Burrows