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Professor Lucy Easthope is one of the country’s foremost disaster planners and a member of the Cabinet Office’s behavioural sciences expert group. She has been at the scene of almost every global catastrophe over the last 20 years.

Professor Easthope joined Emma Barnett on ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour to talk about her role and discuss the Government’s response to the pandemic.

She says that the Government were difficult to convince that a pandemic was a major risk.

A Government spokesperson said:

“The Covid pandemic was unprecedented and challenged health systems around the world. Throughout the pandemic we have been guided by scientific and medical experts, and our main priority was to protect the NHS and save lives.

"As the National Audit Office Report on Covid-19 Pandemic Preparedness recognised, the government benefited from EU exit planning as well as the challenge of balancing multiple priorities.

"Thanks to our national efforts, we are now one of the most open countries in the world, and our focus is on building back better from the pandemic and delivering Brexit opportunities that benefit the British public."

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