Keir Starmer appoints first lady in over 100 years to steer civil service
Keir Starmer has appointed the first woman to lead the civil service since the post was created over 100 years ago.
Dame Antonia Romeo – who was most recently the Home Office permanent secretary – will serve as Cabinet Secretary and head of the Civil Service. It comes after Sir Chris Wormald stepped down from the heart of government after just 14 months in the role by “mutual agreement” with the PM.
Dame Antonia, who was seen as the frontrunner to replace him, said today: “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.”
She added: “I look forward to working with all colleagues across the Civil Service to do this, in support of the Prime Minister and the Government.”
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Mr 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.”
Last week the ex-head of the Foreign Office Sir Simon McDonald suggested the government needed to do more “due diligence” with the appointment. He told Channel 4: “The due diligence needs to be thorough. If the candidate mentioned in the media is the one, in my view, the due diligence has some way still to go.”
But First Civil Service Commissioner Baroness Gisela Stuart said the appointment of Dame Antonia was approved after “comprehensive due diligence”.
