In 2002, she joined the
Department for Culture, Media and Sport, working as principal private secretary to
Tessa Jowell and on London's bid and preparations for the
2012 Olympic Games. In 2010, she was appointed director for media policy, and was responsible for setting up the
Leveson Inquiry. From 2014 to 2016, MacNamara was Director of the
Economic and Domestic Affairs Secretariat at the
Cabinet Office, Speaking about the appointment,
Sir Jeremy Heywood, the then Cabinet Secretary said: "She is a highly experienced civil servant who has worked in many senior roles across government. Her appointment will bring a wealth of knowledge and understanding of how government works, that will assist her in this crucial role." In February 2020 former special advisers called on MacNamara to defend the workplace rights of ministerial aides, amid further complaints about Cummings' behaviour. In February 2020, after claims that Home Secretary
Priti Patel had bullied aides,
The Times claimed that MacNamara "blocked" Patel's request for a formal leak inquiry into the claims, though the Cabinet Office denied that a formal request had been made. MacNamara's report into the bullying allegations against Patel were delayed by the Prime Minister's hospitalisation in April. The
Labour Party called for the report to be made public, and repeated the calls in mid-July amid rumours that MacNamara was resisting pressure from Downing Street to exonerate Patel.
Deputy Cabinet Secretary In spring 2020, MacNamara was promoted to become the Deputy Cabinet Secretary, a permanent secretary-level role in which she led the Cabinet Secretariat group in the
Cabinet Office and advised the Prime Minister on the operation of the cabinet government and collective agreement, machinery of government, propriety and ethics and the Special Adviser and
Ministerial Codes. She also managed the government's relationship with independent offices established in statute, including the Civil Service Commission. It emerged in
Sue Gray's report that MacNamara had provided a
karaoke machine during one of the
illegal gatherings in Number 10 on 18 June 2020, during the COVID-19 lockdown. In April 2022 she was issued with a
fixed penalty notice for her role in the gathering and she issued an apology for her “error of judgment”. In July 2020, it was erroneously reported that MacNamara would leave her job the next month, to become permanent secretary of an unspecified government department. In November 2023, MacNamara gave evidence to the
UK Covid-19 Inquiry. ==Personal life==