Antonia Romeo appointed civil service boss
Sir Keir Starmer has appointed Dame Antonia Romeo to be the first female cabinet secretary to lead the civil service, as part of a reshuffle of the government’s top team.
The new civil service chief is currently the most senior civil servant at the Home Office, and was a leading contender for the role when she lost out to Chris Wormald, who stepped down last week.
On the appointment, the Prime Minister praised the new civil service boss as an “outstanding public servant, with a 25-year record of delivering for the British people”.
Starmer said: “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.”
The PM added: “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.”
Antonia Romeo said: “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.”
Allegations of bullying
The much-rumoured appointment comes amid reporting of bullying allegations, which have been the Cabinet Office with “no case to answer”.
Dave Penman, the boss of the civil servants’ union, has slammed the reporting of these allegations which he has pinned on “misogyny”, arguing that Romeo has attracted unfair scrutiny due to her “outgoing, dynamic” personality.
Before her appointment to head up the Home Office in 2025, Romeo held leadership roles at the Ministry of Justice and Department for International Trade, alongside a stint working in New York.
Wormald out, Romeo in
Romeo replaces Chris Wormald, who was in post for less than 18 months following Labour coming into power and shuffled out in the wake of the Mandelson scandal.
At the time of Wormald’s appointment, Romeo was one of a shortlist of four candidates being seriously considered for the role.
Wormald was praised by Keir Starmer when he was appointed in 2024 for his “wealth of experience”, with the PM at the time pledging that Labour would deliver “nothing less than a complete re-wiring of the British state to deliver bold and ambitious long-term reform”.