She’s anything but the traditional stuffy Whitehall mandarin in the mould of Sir Humphrey Appleby in TV’s Yes Minister.
Britain’s new top civil servant, Dame Antonia Romeo, 51, might even seem a surprising choice as the new cabinet secretary – the first woman to do the job – for a prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer, who’s accused of being dull and conventional.
While Dame Antonia was a diplomat in New York, she attended and hosted lavish parties with celebs including Ab Fab star Joanna Lumley, publishers Rupert Murdoch and Anna Wintour, top fashion models and designers such as Calvin Klein and the now-disgraced film producer Harvey Weinstein.
Politics latest: First woman appointed as head of the civil service
She’s controversial because of allegations, investigated by the Cabinet Office and dismissed with “no case to answer”, of bullying and questionable expenses claims, including private school fees for her children and a last-minute flight to attend the BAFTA awards.
The boss of the top civil servants’ union, Dave Penman, blamed “misogyny” for the allegations and claimed she was targeted because she was a “female candidate with a profile” and an “outgoing, dynamic” personality.
There have been other barbs, though. A role as the Civil Service’s gender champion, after setting up Whitehall’s “gender equality leadership group”, earned her the nickname “the Queen of Woke”.
She certainly has an impressive CV, which is even longer than her full name, Dame Antonia Rebecca Caroline Angharad Catherine Romeo. In fact, her romantic surname is her married name. She was born Antonia Rice-Evans.
She has been the top civil servant, the permanent secretary, in three large government departments, International Trade, the Ministry of Justice and the Home Office, where she has been in charge since April last year.
She may be seen as unorthodox and…
