Starmer Appoints Antonia Romeo To Be The UK’s Top Civil Servant

Keir Starmer has appointed Antonia Romeo to be the UK’s most senior civil servant, making her the first female cabinet secretary in history.

The decision will raise eyebrows, considering Romeo has previously been accused of bullying and questioned over her use of expenses when she was the UK’s consul general in New York.

However, the government said the allegations were investigated at the time and there was “no case to answer”.

She got the job after a due diligence process overseen by crossbench peer Baroness Gisela Stuart, the First Civil Service Commissioner.

Starmer 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.”

Romeo’s predecessor Sir Chris Wormald resigned last week, barely a year after he was appointed – making him the shortest-serving cabinet secretary in history.

Amid a wider reshuffle of No.10 staff, he agreed “by mutual consent” with the prime minister to stand down.

The prime minister hailed Wormald’s “exceptional” leadership when he was announced as cabinet secretary in December 2024.

However, Starmer was reportedly unhappy with Wormald’s performance.

He was the third senior official to leave No.10 in the last week after Starmer’s chief of staff Morgan McSweeney quit last Sunday and communications director Tim Allan resigned the following day.

Romeo’s new appointment follows growing speculation about Starmer’s judgement after his decision to appoint Peter Mandelson to be the UK’s ambassador to Washington last year.

The disgraced former Labour peer was sacked seven months later over his connections to convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

Mandelson is now facing a criminal investigation over allegations he passed market sensitive information to the billionaire financier when he was business secretary in the wake of the 2008 financial crash.