The Home Office has a new civil servant boss, and she is infamous in Whitehall for her support of ‘woke projects’.
Dame Antonia Romeo will become the department’s permanent secretary, replacing Sir Matthew Rycroft.
Former colleagues have dubbed Romeo as the ‘Queen of woke’ - a claim the government rejects as "completely baseless and inaccurate", adding: "Dame Antonia has a record of excellent leadership in four government departments and has the skills and experience to deliver in her new role.”
However, one civil servant who worked closely with her for several years told GB News: "Antonia's appointment to lead the Home Office is baffling.
The source continued: “In the Department for International Trade (DIT) and the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) she pushed radical woke politics on her staff.
“Labour's promotion of the Queen of Woke to lead the Home Office shows they are not serious about stopping the boats."
Prominent colleagues have come out in defence of her record.
Dame Antonia Romeo GdstreamHome Secretary, Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP, said: "Antonia has huge experience delivering transformation across a range of Government departments, as well as a track record of delivery and strong systems leadership, both of which will be vital to lead the Home Office to deliver its mission on safer streets and border security."
Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, Rt Hon Shabana Mahmood MP said: "Antonia has been an extraordinary leader of the Ministry of Justice for four years - and I have been fortunate to have her at my side for the last eight months."
Cabinet Secretary, Sir Chris Wormald, said: "Antonia is an exceptional public servant who embodies the very best of the Civil Service. She brings a depth of experience from leading the Ministry of Justice and setting up the Department for International Trade, which make her excellently suited to lead the Home Office and delivery of its missions."The previous permanent secretary struggled to get to grips with illegal and legal migration, both of which skyrocketed under his watch.
Heading up the Home Office is no easy gig; more than 35,000 civil servants work there and are responsible for both policing and migration, two of the biggest issues in British politics.
In parliament Rycroft failed to answer questions from MPs, leading to frustration from both Labour and Conservative politicians.
Romeo has led two government departments, the MoJ and DIT, meaning she has had some experience in being a permanent secretary. Indeed reports suggest Liz Truss as prime minister wanted to promote her to lead the Treasury, or even the Civil Service itself.
When it comes to social issues Romeo does have a long history of supporting ‘woke’ projects.
At DIT she wrote weekly emails to staff, many of which celebrated issues from Transgender Awareness Week to Black Lives Matter.
These emails included a suggestion to watch a film called Seahorse, which told "the story of a trans man's path to parenthood".
She also urged officials to attend a "transgender awareness session" and boasted about flying the Trans flag above DIT HQ.
Romeo praised and worked with the radical Trans charity Stonewall, which some government departments have refused to work with. One email sent in 2020 to DIT colleagues had the subject line: “Why does Bi Visibility Day matter to me?”
During the BLM protests in 2020 the mandarin wrote to colleagues: "I want to double down on our work to ensure everything we do internally and externally is supporting the diversity, collaboration and inclusion agenda."
Her email continued: “We must all offer support and solidarity, speak out against injustice, and use every tool at our disposal to make a difference.”
During her tenure, safe space rooms were set up, as well as workshops for civil servants in Tai Chi and Japanese calligraphy, held during work hours.
Romeo’s tweets since joining the MoJ in 2021 include references to “diversity in the courtroom” and “Deaf awareness week”.
In May 2022, a civil servant sent an official message to MoJ staff during Lesbian Visibility Week, highlighting concerns about the lack of "meaningful lesbian visibility" among senior officials, "successful celebrities," and media portrayals that provide "a happy ending."
With channel crossings and legal migration reaching unprecedented levels, Dame Antonia must navigate a formidable challenge.
