Who is Dame Antonia Romeo? UK's first female Cabinet Secretary
Networking champion who has been appointed to break up No 10 "boys club"
Sir Keir Starmer has bolstered his team with the appointment of a new Cabinet Secretary, who will become the first woman to hold the role.
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The prime minister announced on Thursday that Dame Antonia Romeo had been hired, following accusations that Labour was running a boys’ club within No 10.
The Cabinet Secretary is the most senior civil servant in the United Kingdom and acts as the senior policy adviser to the prime minister.
Sir Chris Wormald left the role last week, amid a treacherous few days for the PM.
Sir Keir 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.
“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.”
But who is Dame Antonia and what could she bring to the role?
Dame Antonia Romeo has been appointed Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service, the first woman to hold the role in over 100 years.
— Cabinet Office (@cabinetofficeuk) February 19, 2026
After 25 years in public service, leading some of the biggest departments in government, she takes up the role effective immediately. pic.twitter.com/xVeicwxH6M
Who is Dame Antonia Romeo?
Dame Antonia, 51, is a longtime public servant who has decades of experience to bring to her new role as Cabinet Secretary. Her CV includes:
- Her Majesty's Consul-General in New York (February-October 2015),
- Permanent Secretary of the Department for International Trade (2017-2021),
- Clerk of the Crown in Chancery and Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Justice (2021 - 2025),
- Permanent Under-Secretary of State at the Home Office (2025-2026)
She is London-born and educated, and studied her undergraduate at Oxford University. She joined the Civil Service in 2000.
Dame Antonia is married to John Romeo, with him she has three children, and has worked in promoting trade and business.
Her abilities have won her praise for her networking ability and warm demeanour as well as a forthright outlook, which is said to have won her favour with home secretary Shabana Mahmood.
She 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 also survived claims of overspending (a Cabinet Office probe was not stood up) and for building too much of a personal brand on social media.
Sir Keir has moved on from a more stereotypical chief civil servant in Sir Chris Wormald to a more modern approach, especially with Dame Antonia being the first woman to fill the role.
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.”