Antonia Romeo is appointed as UK top civil servant and cabinet secretary by Keir Starmer

Sir Keir Starmer has appointed Dame Antonia Romeo as Britain’s first female cabinet secretary and head of the Civil Service.

The appointment, which has been rumored for weeks, comes after allegations that there had been previous conversations about Dame Antonia’s management style.

He previously faced allegations of bullying while serving as consul general in New York in 2017, but was later cleared by the Cabinet Office following an investigation.

A source told the BBC that Dame Antonia faced “tough talk” about her leadership style following the investigation, adding that “there were some issues with personal style that people didn’t like”.

Dame Antonia, currently permanent secretary of the Home Office, became the first woman to hold the post of Cabinet Secretary.

The Prime Minister defended Dame Antonia as an “exceptional leader” earlier this week; There were increasing expectations that he would be given this task.

Asked about reports that the senior civil servant had been interviewed about her management style following the inquiry, the prime minister’s official spokesman insisted Dame Antonia’s record “speaks for itself”.

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