Keir Starmer appointed Antonia Romeo as Cabinet Secretary, the UK’s most senior civil servant, and praised her drive and professionalism.
The appointment comes after a sharp criticism of Romeo from Simon MacDonald, the former permanent secretary of the Foreign Office. Romeo was highly praised by other previous Secretaries of State as well as the current Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood.
Romeo, the longest-serving permanent secretary in the civil service, had a reputation as a reformer and was a more prominent public figure than many of her contemporaries.
She previously faced allegations of intimidation during her time as consul general in New York in 2017 but was cleared by the Cabinet Office.
She was the first woman to hold the post in its 110-year history and was a key behind-the-scenes figure in several government departments, including permanent secretary at the Home Office, the Department for International Trade (which was created from scratch after Brexit) and the Ministry of Justice, leading the official response to the summer 2024 riots.
She replaces Chris Wormald, who quit last week after being seen as ineffective by senior figures at No 10. Romeo, mentored by Jeremy Heywood, one of the longest-serving cabinet secretaries, was shortlisted for the top job when previous cabinet secretary Simon Case left the civil service, but lost in the final round to W.
Starmer called her “an outstanding public servant with a 25-year record of service for the British people” and said he was impressed by her professionalism and determination to get things done.
“Families across the country are still feeling the pressure, and this Government is focused on reducing the cost of living, strengthening public services and restoring pride in our communities. Having a Cabinet Secretary who can support the Government to make this happen is essential,” he said.
“Antonia has shown that she is the right person to reform the government and I look forward to working with her to deliver this period of national renewal.”
Romeo says being the head of the civil service is a “huge power”. “The civil service is a great and great institution, which I love,” she said. “We must be known for delivery, efficiency and innovation, working to implement the government’s agenda and meet the challenges facing the country.”
Following Romeo’s appointment Lord Macdonald said in a Channel 4 News interview that Romeo should have been “due more due diligence” before being selected. “Due diligence should be thorough. If one is the candidate mentioned in the media, in my view, due diligence still has some way to go,” he said.
Number 10 says full consideration was done when he was shortlisted for the role of Romeo after the case was dropped. Downing Street contacted the Civil Service Commissioner, Gisela Stuart, who said there was no need to run the full process again.
Stuart said: “Dame Antonia Romeo has an excellent track record in leadership positions in the civil service, including three permanent secretary roles in some of the most critical operational departments in government.”
Number 10 stated that the due diligence process was also undertaken by the Permanent Secretary and Acting Chief People Officer of the Cabinet Office.
