Not one day when Covid rules followed in No 10 - top civil servant

1. Previously the UK's second-most senior civil servant, Helen MacNamara says she would struggle to pick a day when Covid rules were properly followed in No 10
2. She told the Covid inquiry a sexist and macho culture meant women's perspectives were being missed in advice and decision-making
3. Last year, MacNamara was fined for attending a 2020 lockdown party in the Cabinet Office. She tells the inquiry it "should never have happened"
4. In today's session, the former deputy cabinet secretary also criticised Boris Johnson's "breezy confidence" about the unfolding pandemic in March 2020
5. And she recounted the "horrible" moment she realised the UK was heading for "total disaster", 10 days before the first lockdown
6. The inquiry also heard today from Dr David Halpern - chief executive of the Behavioural Insights Team, also known as the "nudge unit"
7. The purpose of the inquiry is to learn lessons on a matter of public concern; no-one will be found innocent or guilty during the proceedings

We're ending our coverage

Alys Davies

Live reporter

Our coverage of today's Covid inquiry hearing is coming to an end.

You can read more about Helen MacNamara's summation of the "toxic" and "macho" culture that characterised the atmosphere at the top levels of government during the early stages of the pandemic here.

To find out more about the UK Covid inquiry and what it's all about, go here.

Today's coverage was brought to you by Malu Cursino, Alex Smith, Sam Francis, Harrison Jones and James Harness. It was edited by James FitzGerald, Dulcie Lee and me.

What we learned today

The inquiry today heard first from former deputy cabinet secretary Helen MacNamara and then Prof David Halpern.

• MacNamara said she would struggle to pick a day when Covid rules were properly followed in No 10
• She recalled the "horrible" moment she realised the country was heading for a "total disaster" - 10 days before the first lockdown. "We are absolutely [expletive]", she recalls telling other officials. "I think we are going to kill thousands of people"
• The then second-most senior civil servant took aim at Boris Johnson's "breezy confidence" about the Covid crisis in March 2020
• She said the culture inside Number 10 was toxic, sexist and macho, meaning women's perspectives were missed and female staff felt they'd become "invisible overnight"
• She painted a picture of misplaced confidence in Whitehall that the UK was prepared to deal with Covid, suggesting assurances on the matter from Matt Hancock, the then-health secretary, repeatedly turned out to be untrue.
• She said Dominic Cummings' Whatsapp remarks about her were "horrible to read" and she was disappointed Johnson didn't pick his chief aide up on "violent and misogynistic language"
• MacNamara told the inquiry the 2020 lockdown party she was fined for attending "should never have happened"
• She suggested the government should have done more to help minority groups - as well as women, children and victims of domestic abuse
• Halpern described "arrogance" and "over-confidence" in government in the early days of Covid, but stressed there were "lots of good people trying to do the right thing"

Spokespeople for both Boris Johnson and Matt Hancock have said they are co-operating with the inquiry and will give their own evidence.

Watch: Cummings 'blew hole in public confidence' - Halpern

Watch: David Halpern says Dominic Cummings's actions were "less than ideal".

A short time ago, the inquiry heard that Prof David Halpern wrote in a statement that the actions of Dominic Cummings had been "very unhelpful".

During lockdown, Cummings drove 260 miles from London to Barnard Castle with his family.

Halpern says Cummings' actions undermined public confidence in the Covid rules.

Cummings again attacks Hancock

Dominic Cummings has continued to use one of the expletives he deployed during yesterday's hearing (for which he repeatedly apologised) in reference to Matt Hancock, the former health secretary.

But, writing on X, Cummings also appears to suggest that the debate over his language is distracting from discussions of Hancock's decision-making during the pandemic.

Boris Johnson's former chief aide repeatedly criticised Hancock yesterday - when he was questioned at the inquiry. He also said sorry for using "appalling language" to describe former deputy cabinet secretary Helen MacNamara - who we heard from today - but denied it was misogynistic.

A spokesperson for Hancock told the BBC: “Mr Hancock has supported the inquiry throughout and will respond to all questions when he gives his evidence.”

PA Media

Cummings leaving the Covid inquiry yesterday

In a separate post on X, Cummings also accused the Cabinet Office of destroying "a lot of documents", and that it "has failed to follow the orders given in 2020 to keep records of everything - I asked for this to happen - so did Helen (MacNamara)".

The Cabinet Office did not explicitly deny the claim when asked by the BBC, but a spokesperson said the government had complied with its obligations to the inquiry.

They added that it would continue to provide any potentially relevant material requested by the inquiry chair and stated: "We have provided enormous quantities of material to the Inquiry so far and will continue to do so. To date, the Cabinet Office has submitted over 55,000 documents to the inquiry."

Covid inquiry: The key things to know

Here's a quick reminder of some of the key things to know about the UK's Covid inquiry:

• It’s being chaired by Baroness Hallett - a former Court of Appeal judge who previously led the inquests into the 7 July London bombings in 2005
• The names of people giving evidence will be announced for each week - they include key politicians, scientists, unions, health and care organisations, Covid bereavement groups and more
• Members of the public are being encouraged to share their stories with the inquiry by filling in this form online
• No-one will be found guilty or innocent during this inquiry
• This is about going through what happened and learning lessons
• Any recommendations made by the inquiry at the end of this process do not have to be adopted by governments

Wednesday's hearing comes to an end

Wednesday's hearing has now come to a close and we'll be rounding up today's developments for you soon.

The Covid inquiry will return tomorrow, where we'll hear from:

• Baron Stevens of Birmingham, the former chief executive officer of NHS England
• Sir Christopher Wormald, permanent secretary of the Department of Health and Social Care
• And Dr Yvonne Doyle, former medical director and director for health protection at Public Health England

Stay with us as we bring you a round-up of the day's developments.

There were lots of 'good people' trying to do the 'right thing' - Prof Halpern

UK Covid inquiry

The day's hearing closes with some general remarks from Prof David Halpern, delivered in reply to a question from Sam Jacobs, representing the the Trades Union Congress (TUC).

Prof Halpern says the early days of the pandemic were characterised by "lots of good people trying to do the right thing".

He says one of the challenges he faced was turning scientific knowledge into public advice: "You have to translate it into practical systems and approaches."

As an example, he cites the Covid tracing app. He says he was promised this would be delivered in "two to three weeks", but it instead took six months.

Baroness Heather Hallett then calls to a close today's hearing.

'Arrogance' and 'over-confidence' during early stages of pandemic - Prof Halpern

The last questions from inquiry lawyer Dermot Keating refer to Prof David Halpern's statement that within government there was an "arrogance" during the early stages of the pandemic.

In the statement, Prof Halpern says that there was an "arrogance that we knew better and that we would do better" than other developed nations had done.

Prof Halpern stands by this, saying this "over-confidence" made us slower at dealing with things, and there was less focus on other aspects.

But he added that he was mindful not to undermine senior figures.

Keating's inquiries end there, and the floor is now open for others at the inquiry to ask Prof Halpern questions.

Cummings' actions 'blew a hole' in public confidence - Prof Halpern

Shortly before those questions about government initiatives, inquiry lawyer Dermot Keating referred to a statement from Prof David Halpern that described the actions of Dominic Cummings as "very unhelpful".

During lockdown, Cummings drove 260 miles from London to Barnard Castle with his family. Speaking to the inquiry yesterday, Cummings admitted that his family did not need to accompany him on the infamous trip, but denied this act led to a collapse in public trust.

Prof Halpern says he believes Cummings was "pretty blatantly breaking the rules" and "seeking to justify it".

He says the one silver lining, however, was that most people continued to abide by the rules, adding that data suggests it is more important what people immediately around you are doing.

But he says Cummings' actions were "atrocious" and "blows a hole" in public confidence.

Government's 'stay alert' campaign didn't work - Prof Halpern

UK Covid inquiry

Questioning briefly turns to government initiatives during the pandemic.

Referring to Prof David Halpern's statement, inquiry lawyer Dermot Keating asks the witness why he thought the "stay alert" campaign didn't work.

"It tells you to worry and doesn't tell you what to do," Prof Halpern replies.

"Is that short enough," he then asks, raising a chuckle from Keating - who had earlier asked the professor to keep his replies brief.

'Behavioural fatigue' a controversial issue in pandemic response

Jim Reed

Health reporter, BBC News

The issue of "behavioural fatigue" is a controversial one among scientists involved in the pandemic response.

On two separate occassions - on 10 and 12 March 2020 - Sir Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer, suggested in news conferences that it was one of the reasons it made sense for the government to put off bringing in tough lockdown restrictions.

The idea was that the public would quickly grow weary of the new rules and compliance would dip.

The whole concept was later criticised by many scientists, who said there was no real evidence for "behavioural fatigue" and it oversimplified the situation.

At the time there was the suspicion that Prof David Halpern's nudge unit was behind the briefing in some way.

But giving evidence at the inquiry, he denied that was the case, saying it was "not a phrase we would use".

He said Prof Whitty, in his statement to the inquiry which has not yet been made public, is "clear where it came from" and describes it as a "mistake on his part".

The chief medical officer is due to give evidence in person next month.

Prof Halpern had 'cracking confidence' in government

UK Covid inquiry

The strong language a moment ago came when Prof David Halpern and inquiry lawyer Dermot Keating looked back at one of Prof Halpern's notes from early in the pandemic - in which he delivered a gloomy assessment on the government's preparedness for the onset of Covid.

I was "quite shocked and depressed," Halpern recalls - going on to speak about "cracking confidence" in government.

Behavioural fatigue was an 'unfortunate' phrase used - Prof Halpern

The discussion switches to language and whether or not this helped with public messaging.

The term "behavioural fatigue" is raised, a phrase that was reportedly used by Sir Chris Whitty - England's former chief medical officer - early in the pandemic, at a time when Prof David Halpern's team were keen to move forward on social distancing measures.

Prof Halpern describes the use of this phrase as "unfortunate", and says his research shows, when people are united in a situation like this, they tend to comply to a high degree.

A note on strong language in the live feed

Like yesterday, some very strong language is being broadcast on the live feed from the inquiry as messages are read out in evidence.

This is because the lead counsel to the inquiry has decided that this evidence is pertinent to its aim of examining the UK’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic, and trying to learn lessons for the future.

The inquiry is chaired by Baroness Heather Hallett, a former Court of Appeal judge.

While the BBC would not normally broadcast such strong language, we believe there is a clear public interest in reporting the inquiry's proceedings in full.

The 'nudge unit' in Covid

Jim Reed

Health reporter, BBC News

UK Covid inquiry

The inquiry hearing has started again, with inquiry lawyer Dermot Keating now questioning Prof David Halpern - president of the Behavioural Insights Team.

The organisation is better known to many as the "nudge unit" - and it is unusual in that it is now its own company, owned by the charity Nesta.

It started off as a small, seven-person team in the cabinet office before being spun off so it could also take outside paid work.

It had a significant role in the pandemic, producing 41 policy notes for government and running more than 60 separate experiments.

The unit was asked to conduct research on what government campaigns worked most effectively.

Prof Halpern, for example, said his team would show a poster promoting handwashing to thousands of participants, and then ask if they could recall the key message five seconds later. The poster would be tweaked if necessary as a result.

Expect more questions about those government campaigns, amid some criticism that "scare tactics" were used to encourage the public to comply during the pandemic.

Watch: Lockdown domestic abuse viewed 'through very narrow lens'

Watch: Helen MacNamara felt domestic abuse was "bound to have increased".

Let's bring you one more clip from Helen MacNamara, the former deputy cabinet secretary, who was speaking at the inquiry earlier.

She spoke of the impact key decisions had on survivors of domestic abuse during the pandemic.

MacNamara says the government was "looking at harm through a very narrow lens".

MacNamara's Partygate comments incredibly awkward for 'hundreds' of Whitehall workers involved

Nick Eardley

Political correspondent

The claims and revelations of the past three days have been pretty dizzying.

Helen MacNamara's job - as deputy cabinet secretary - was to make government work well. It's clear she doesn't think it did under Boris Johnson.

She's described a macho, sexist and toxic culture.

She's argued the lack of diversity in decision-making meant the needs of women and people from ethnic minorities was often forgotten.

MacNamara made clear the No 10 team - the one she called macho - was too bullish when the pandemic first hit. They believed the UK could deal with it.

She's claimed former Health Secretary Matt Hancock regularly told people things which weren't true.

She's said the then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson didn't make decisions and regularly changed his mind. Johnson didn't stand up to aides who used offensive language, she observed.

For days, witnesses have said the government machine was chaotic and dysfunctional.

But MacNamara also offered comments on Partygate which will be incredibly awkward for people who were working in and around Whitehall.

She concluded hundreds - literally hundreds - of civil servants and ministers will have broken the rules (based on the line drawn by police in their investigations).

She's said there wasn't a single day where the rules were completely followed in No 10.

We've heard some of these things in isolation before. But to hear such a senior civil servant spell them out is quite extraordinary.

Prof Halpern was surprised at lack of public information about Covid

UK Covid inquiry

Inquiry lawyer Dermot Keating has been asking Prof David Halpern about a document recording a meeting on 20 February 2020, examining government publications on Covid.

In the document, Prof Halpern said there was an issue around the level of detail to include so that the public could be warned about what might happen with a potential pandemic.

It was "very strongly the impression" among medical experts in the room that, once community transmission of the virus occurred, the wave would be unstoppable, he says.

Prof Halpern adds that he believed it seemed sensible to include information about the potential number of deaths.

Asked if he had any concerns about the information put out at the time, Halpern says that he didn't think the information was "way off", but was surprised at the lack of posters and information out there.

Their discussion continues, and a short while later, the chair Baroness Heather Hallett requests a 15-minute break. That'll allow us to bring you more of the reaction to Helen MacNamara.

Who is David Halpern?

UK Covid Inquiry

The inquiry is now moving on to hear from Prof David Halpern, who is the president and founding director of the Behavioural Insights Team.

The organisation advised the government on how people were likely to react to lockdown measures during the pandemic, using behavioural science.

The unit was initially part of the UK government, but is now independent.

Watch: 'Not a pleasant place to work'

Watch: 'Not a pleasant place to work' with Cummings

Let's quickly catch up with another clip of Helen MacNamara during these early stages of evidence from Halpern.

The former deputy cabinet secretary earlier discussed working with Dominic Cummings during the pandemic - he was Boris Johnson's most senior adviser at the time.

She says she it was "disappointing" that the PM didn't pick Cummings up on his "violent and misogynistic" language.

MacNamara also described a "toxic" work culture that was “just miles away from what is right or proper or decent or what the country deserves”.