Downing Street suffered from a “toxic culture” of sexism, “presenteeism” and “macho posturing” in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, the UK’s Covid inquiry heard today.
According to Helen MacNamara, the government’s deputy cabinet secretary until 2021, key figures in Whitehall presided over an environment in which junior women were “talked over or ignored”.
But despite the “breezy confidence” frequently on show from senior figures, her evidence to the inquiry painted a picture of a workplace in which key regulations and guidelines were ignored.
