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Woman's Hour: Dido Harding, Friendship between gay men and straight women, Foreign aid cuts

Dido Harding, Friendship between gay men and straight women, Foreign aid cuts

BBC Radio 4 - Woman's Hour, Dido Harding, Friendship between gay men and straight women, Foreign aid cuts

Dido Harding's first interview since leaving her job setting up test and trace.

Dido Harding was brought in to set up a trest and trace system to help stop the Covid-19 pandemic.  This is her first interview since leaving the job.

It’s just over a year since the businesswoman and conservative peer Dido Harding was brought in to set up a test and trace system to help stop the Covid-19 pandemic. The system was going to be “world beating” and help get the UK out of lockdown according to the Prime minister but the incredible costs involved – around £37 billion –  have been criticised for failing to make an impact. The system has improved but what will its legacy be? Dido Harding talks to Emma Barnett on Woman’s Hour today in her first interview since leaving the role last month and reflects on the ups and downs of the last year.

As we celebrate Pride Month throughout June we thought we'd spend a moment celebrating the relationship between gay men and their female BFF.  From reality stars like Jenny and Lee on Googlebox  and Olivia Bentley's relationship with Ollie and Gareth in Made in Chelsea to  Will and Grace to the designer Halston and Liza Minelli. What is it about the relationship that makes them so special?

A group of MPs, Including the former Prime Minister Theresa May, are trying to push through a vote in parliament which they hope will reverse controversial cuts to the international aid budget. It's likely that an amendment to  the Advanced Research and Invention Agency bill will happen, and that technical change will result in aid spending going back to what it was. It was recently cut from 0.7% to 0.5.  Preet Gill MP is  Shadow International Development Secretary and Ella Whelan is a journalist and commentator who doesn't believe in foreign aid.

Presenter: Emma Barnett
Producer: Lucinda Montefiore

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