Downing Street has delayed confirming the departure of cabinet secretary Chris Wormald after just a year in the job, with the role now set to be split between officials on an acting basis in the interim, as outlined by The Guardian.
Multiple government sources indicated that a new cabinet secretary would not be announced at the same time and that it was not a “done deal” that Antonia Romeo, the permanent secretary at the Home Office, would secure the position. Romeo had been widely considered the frontrunner, having been on the shortlist for the role a year ago when she was found to be an appointable candidate.
Sir Simon McDonald, the former permanent secretary of the Foreign Office, urged No 10 to conduct “more due diligence” in the process to replace Wormald. He said he had tried to warn No 10 that the process needed to start from scratch and that the due diligence must be thorough, particularly if the candidate mentioned in the media—understood to be Romeo—was the chosen one.
Romeo is viewed as a dynamic official outside the traditional civil service mould, in contrast to Wormald, who is being forced out partly over concerns he is not the right person to drive reform in Whitehall. Other candidates previously included Tamara Finkelstein, who has now left the civil service, and Olly Robbins at the Foreign Office.
She won support within the civil service for warning Dominic Raab, then justice secretary, over behaviour that led to his being found to have engaged in bullying conduct towards officials, and has impressed Shabana Mahmood at the Home Office.
However, Romeo has faced questions about her spending while consul general in New York in 2017, when she worked under Sir Simon McDonald at the Foreign Office. A subsequent Cabinet Office investigation cleared her of any wrongdoing. McDonald said he would like to discuss this with No 10 through its vetting process.
A government source defended Romeo, stating: “There is absolutely no basis for this criticism. Antonia Romeo is a highly respected permanent secretary with a 25-year record of excellent public service. The allegations all come from a single grievance made some time ago by a former employee. All the allegations were dismissed on the basis there was no case to answer.”
A Cabinet Office spokesperson declined to comment on speculation about Wormald’s departure and Romeo’s possible promotion.
