The British government announced on Sunday that it would double its annual spend of research into Brain cancer following the death of Tessa Jowell: a renowned Labour Peer and ex-MP who herself died of a brain tumour.

Tessa Jowell had been campaigning for months following her diagnosis for increased funding and the implementation of the ‘gold standard’ dye test – yet it took her death to implement them.  Wouldn’t it have been a greater ‘honour’ to her to do this whilst she was alive?

Statistics from the charity Cancer Research UK show that more than 5,000 people a year die from a brain tumour – yet none of those deaths was followed by an increase in funding and a public announcement.  This decision (albeit positive) and the public announcement  serves only to highlight the sanctimonious nature of politics.  Surely if this action was worth taking, then it was as worth being taken yesterday as it was today?