Keir Starmer has appointed Antonia Romeo as cupboard secretary, the UK’s most senior civil servant, praising her drive and professionalism.
The appointment comes after high-profile criticism of Romeo from the previous everlasting secretary of the International Workplace, Simon McDonald. Romeo has been extremely praised by different earlier secretaries of state, in addition to the present house secretary, Shabana Mahmood.
Romeo, the longest serving everlasting secretary within the civil service, has a status as a reformer and has been a extra distinguished public determine than lots of her contemporaries.
She has beforehand confronted accusations of bullying associated to her time as consul-general in New York in 2017, however was cleared by the Cupboard Workplace.
She is the primary girl to carry the publish within the 110-year historical past of the function and has been a key determine behind the scenes in lots of authorities departments, together with spells as everlasting secretary on the Dwelling Workplace, the Division for Worldwide Commerce (which was arrange from scratch post-Brexit ), and the Ministry of Justice, main the official response to the 2024 summer season riots.
She replaces Chris Wormald, who left final week after being extensively seen as ineffective by senior figures in No 10. Romeo, who was mentored by one of many longest serving cupboard secretaries, Jeremy Heywood, was shortlisted for the highest job when the earlier cupboard secretary, Simon Case, left the civil service, however misplaced out within the closing spherical to Wormald.
Starmer known as her “an excellent public servant, with a 25‑yr file of delivering for the British individuals” and mentioned he had been impressed by her professionalism and dedication to get issues performed.
“Households throughout the nation are nonetheless feeling the squeeze, and this authorities is concentrated on easing the price of dwelling, strengthening public companies and restoring pleasure in our communities. It’s important we’ve got a Cupboard Secretary who can assist the federal government to make this occur,” he mentioned.
“Antonia has proven she is the proper individual to drive the federal government to reform and I sit up for working along with her to ship this era of nationwide renewal.”
Romeo mentioned it was a “large privilege” to develop into the pinnacle of the civil service. “The civil service is a superb and noteworthy establishment, which I really like,” she mentioned. “We ought to be identified for supply, effectivity and innovation, working to implement the federal government’s agenda and meet the challenges the nation faces.”
Lord McDonald had instructed the prime minister in a Channel 4 Information interview after Romeo’s appointment that there ought to have been “extra due diligence” earlier than choosing Romeo. “The due diligence must be thorough. If the candidate talked about within the media is the one, in my opinion, the due diligence has a way nonetheless to go,” he mentioned.
No 10 mentioned full vetting had taken place when Romeo was shortlisted for the function after Case left. Downing Road mentioned it had consulted the civil service commissioner, Gisela Stuart, who mentioned the total course of didn’t should be re-run.
Stuart mentioned: “Dame Antonia Romeo has a wonderful observe file in management positions throughout the civil service, together with three everlasting secretary roles in a few of the most complicated operational departments in authorities.”
No 10 mentioned an enhanced due diligence course of had additionally been undertaken by the everlasting secretary of the Cupboard Workplace and the interim chief individuals officer.
