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Louise Casey talks to Helena Kennedy

Behind the Scenes of High-Profile Public Inquiries

Hay Festival 2026, 

Baroness Casey has worked for six different prime ministers. She’s led high-profile public inquiries and independent reviews, most recently into grooming gangs in Rotherham, and into the Metropolitan Police, where she identified severe institutional failings across the organisation.

In this exclusive conversation with fellow peer Baroness Kennedy, Casey gives an incredible insight into her work as the go-to woman for successive governments to tackle some of society’s most intractable problems – including homelessness, anti-social behaviour, troubled families, child sexual exploitation and social integration. A rare chance to hear the fascinating insights from a woman who’s helped to shape our society and its culture.