As the US-Iran war rumbles on, Keir Starmer will be spending his days dashing in and out of lots of important meetings, including Cobra (which actually stands for ‘cabinet office briefing rooms’ – the origins of the ‘A’ remains a bit of a mystery).
In this clip from The Independent’s politics podcast In The Room, Helen MacNamara, former deputy cabinet secretary, sheds light on how, why, and when Cobra meetings happen. She also reflects on her own experience being in a COBRA meeting for the 7/7 attacks in 2005.
Hear more from Helen and Cleo on In The Room, available to listen on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or watch on YouTube.
