Dame Antonia Romeo appointed Cabinet Secretary

Sir Keir Starmer has appointed Dame Antonia Romeo as Cabinet Secretary and head of the Civil Service, praising her “determination to get things done”.

As the frontrunner to replace Sir Chris Wormald, her expected appointment had raised eyebrows following allegations she was previously spoken to about her management style.

Dame Antonia, previously the permanent secretary of the Home Office, becomes the first woman to hold the UK’s most senior Civil Service post.

She succeeds Sir Chris, who was forced out last week after just 14 months in the job as the Prime Minister seeks to reset his Downing Street operation after a string of scandals that critics said had exposed a boys’ club within Downing Street.

Dame Antonia has previously faced accusations of bullying related to her time as consul-general in New York in 2017, but was cleared by the Cabinet Office.

She has been seen as a high-flyer in the Civil Service, having been permanent secretary at the Department for International Trade and the Ministry of Justice before taking up the top job at the Home Office last year.

Reports that she was being lined up to replace Sir Chris drew a rare intervention from former Foreign Office mandarin Lord Simon McDonald, who said the appointment process should “start from scratch”.

Lord McDonald, who was permanent under-secretary at the Foreign Office during Dame Antonia’s time there, warned the Prime Minister against “doing the due diligence too late”.

But Government sources dismissed Lord McDonald’s claims, saying there was “absolutely no basis for this criticism” and calling him “a senior male official whose time has passed”.

No 10 said an “enhanced due diligence process” was carried out by the Cabinet Office permanent secretary.

The vetting process has received intense scrutiny after it failed to bar Lord Peter Mandelson from being appointed ambassador to the US despite his links to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

First Civil Service commissioner Baroness Gisela Stuart approved the appointment of Dame Antonia, who was found to be a suitable candidate for the job in the 2024 recruitment contest ultimately won by Sir Chris.

The Prime Minister said: “I am delighted to appoint Dame Antonia Romeo as the new Cabinet Secretary.

“She is an outstanding public servant, with a 25‑year record of delivering for the British people.

“Since becoming Prime Minister, I’ve been impressed by her professionalism and determination to get things done.

“Families across the country are still feeling the squeeze, and this Government is focused on easing the cost of living, strengthening public services and restoring pride in our communities.

“It is essential we have a Cabinet Secretary who can support the Government to make this happen.

“Antonia has shown she is the right person to drive the Government to reform and I look forward to working with her to deliver this period of national renewal.”

Dame Antonia said: “It is a huge privilege to be asked to serve as Cabinet Secretary and head of the Civil Service.

“The Civil Service is a great and remarkable institution, which I love.

“We should be known for delivery, efficiency and innovation, working to implement the Government’s agenda and meet the challenges the country faces.

“I look forward to working with all colleagues across the Civil Service to do this, in support of the Prime Minister and the Government.”

Dame Antonia has been one of the three civil servants filling in as Cabinet Secretary in the interim following Sir Chris’s departure, alongside Cabinet Office permanent secretary Cat Little and Treasury permanent secretary James Bowler.

Sir Chris became the third of Sir Keir’s senior advisers to quit this month, after chief of staff Morgan McSweeney and communications director Tim Allan.

The departures followed controversies surrounding the appointments of Lord Mandelson and Lord Matthew Doyle despite their association with sex offenders.

Sir Chris’s exit prompted criticism of negative briefings in Government, as well as accusations Sir Keir was scapegoating the top mandarin to secure his own position following weeks of political turbulence.