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Hi, you're listening to Political BBC Scotland's podcast that brings you an inside look at the big stories coming out of Hollywoodrood and Westminster. It's 446pm on Thursday

the 25th of January. I'm David Wallace Locker, a political correspondent at BBC Scotland. And today I am

joined by Georgia Roberts, political correspondent normally based in Westminster, but today in Edinburgh.

And you're in Edinburgh because you are covering?

The UK COVID Inquiry, which has packed its bags from London and has come to Edinburgh

for a series of hearings. And we have had some big names today and that will continue into

the final week next week. Right. So we are very busy today, Georgia, because there's loads

coming out of that. So we are going to today, Georgia, because there's loads coming out

of that. So we are going to blast through this. Let's go chronologically, talk us through the morning

of the COVID inquiry, because we had someone who might not be a household name, but people who

follow Scottish politics will know who this is. Yeah, she's not a household name, but Liz Lloyd is what

many people are referring to as a key backroom operator.

She has been a special advisor to the Scottish government or was a special advisor for a number of years,

but crucially served as Nicholas Sturgeon's chief of staff, I believe, from 2015 till

2021. And so she during the pandemic attended cabinet

and special resilience committee meetings of the Scottish government,

as well as Cobra meetings with the UK government.

She sat in on those four nation UK calls.

And she describes herself as being a core part of the team. And so certainly

when it comes to policy and decision making, she might not be an elected minister, but she was

...