Helen MacNamara

Helen Macnamara, former Deputy Cabinet Secretary, shares her insights on the UK Covid Inquiry, emphasizing that the government acted 'too little, too late.' She highlights the 'toxic' culture at Number 10 that hindered decision-making and reflects on systemic failures rather than individual blame. Helen discusses the successes of the vaccine program amidst chaos and critiques the rapid law-making processes. She also stresses the importance of the inquiry as a learning tool for future crises and argues for needed reforms in leadership and structure within the government.

Former top official at Downing Street during the pandemic, Helen MacNamara, describes a 'macho' culture and how women 'became invisible overnight'. She also mentions Covid restrictions not being followed and people laughing at the Italians. The podcast also covers the UK AI Summit and a global agreement on managing risky AI forms.