‘How can this devastating illness get no attention?’ MP Siobhain McDonagh on her sister’s fatal brain cancer

After former Labour general secretary Margaret McDonagh died, her sister decided to fight for better treatment and research

In the final months in the life of former Labour general secretary Margaret McDonagh, she embraced the solace and pleasures found in family, friends and travel, enjoying the peace of the shores of Lough Corrib in western Ireland, winter sunshine in Málaga and a cruise to France and Spain.

In June, her sister Siobhain McDonagh, a Labour MP, was planning a party for her sister’s 62nd birthday, with a barbecue and marquee in the garden in the home they shared together in south-west London.