Complaints resurface over Romeo’s reign of ‘terror’ in New York

The appointment of Antonia Romeo to lead the UK civil service has horrified former colleagues who accused her of bullying and fostering an “atmosphere of terror” when she served at the British consulate in New York.

Keir Starmer confirmed Romeo as his new cabinet secretary last week, making her the first woman to serve as the UK’s top civil servant in the 110-year history of the post. Romeo is tasked with shaking up the service as the prime minister attempts another reboot of his faltering administration.

But the decision has appalled former colleagues who have accused Romeo of bullying behaviour and misusing taxpayer funds during her time as UK consul general in New York a decade ago. One said that Starmer’s decision to dismiss the past allegations against his most senior policy adviser was “incomprehensible” and “outrageous” amid the fallout from the sacking of Peter Mandelson as ambassador to Washington over his ties to the late paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Documents seen by The Observer and testimony from several sources allege a pattern of abusive behaviour towards consular staff.

“I think I cried every day in the office,” one former colleague told The Observer, who accused Romeo of “screaming, yelling, threatening” staff, telling them: “You’re rubbish at your job, you’re a liar, you’re a bitch.”

“It was pretty systematic,” another former colleague said. “I have no doubt in my mind that her behaviour constituted serious bullying.”

All described Romeo as “incredibly intelligent”, “funny” and “dynamic”. One complainant acknowledged that her “enthusiasm for taking a unique approach is infectious”. But they added that Romeo’s impatience often tipped into threats and bullying.

Staff were allegedly threatened with the sack over minor infractions or disagreements. When Romeo objected to the tone of an email from one junior staffer, they were warned that this was a “career-limiting move” that “could only happen once”.

“She would go zero to 60 and be like, ‘okay, then I’m going to call your boss and your boss’s boss’,” one former staffer said.

A formal complaint against Romeo in 2017 prompted a Foreign Office investigation led by Sir Tim Hitchens, a former ambassador to Japan. The probe concluded that there was a case for the consul general to answer over her behaviour towards colleagues, though complaints about her extravagant expenses were dismissed.

But the findings were overturned by the Cabinet Office, which ruled that Romeo had “no case to answer”, a decision that stunned the complainants. One former colleague insisted that allegations were “100% credible”. In an annual staff survey, complaints of bullying at the consulate rocketed from 10% to 47% in Romeo’s first year in the post.

Another said they were “heartbroken” by the decision.

“Because it had been so exhausting and draining and all-consuming to go through this,” they said. “And then, all a sudden, just this one-pager: ‘Thanks for your time, but jog on.’”

The complaints resurfaced earlier this month as Romeo emerged as the frontrunner to be cabinet secretary when Starmer sacked Sir Chris Wormald after just 14 months in the post. Simon McDonald, the former lead civil servant at the Foreign Office, urged the prime minister to restart the recruitment process “from scratch” to ensure proper “due diligence”.

Those concerns were again dismissed by the Cabinet Office, which said there had only been one complaint against Romeo at the time, a claim vehemently denied by former consular staff.

“It wasn’t one complaint. It was a dossier of complaints compiled from many, many members of staff and over time,” one former colleague said. “The behaviour was very serious.”

As consul general from 2016 to 2017, Romeo was tasked with promoting British trade and industry in the US after the Brexit referendum. But documents seen by The Observer reveal growing frustration among consular staff as Romeo demanded they focus on building her personal brand rather than promoting UK business.

“Time and again, we’ve suggested more nuanced strategies for her to promote the UK but she is solely concerned about her brand,” one staffer complained. “My 15-year-old social-media-obsessed brother is less shameless in his self-promotion… She’s a diplomat, not a D-list celebrity.”

“She expects us to work for her (and her personal brand) 24/7,” another complainant said. “I’m not paid 20%+ under market value to work around the clock for a woman’s Twitter empire.”

Romeo’s extravagant lifestyle also became a source of tension at the consulate. Complaints included her decision to redecorate her official residence with Farrow & Ball paint at a cost of more than $100,000 and her demand that taxpayers should pay her children’s $150,000 school fees.

Trade officials were instructed to request lavish free items from British companies, including dresses loaned by UK fashion designers.

“It was a really tough situation for the trade colleague who owned those relationships,” one former staffer said. “It was ruining relationships with clients and really key British stakeholders in New York, and she just didn't care. There was no such thing as a no.”

Colleagues were shocked when Romeo moved into her official residence, complaining that it was smaller than her previous New York apartment. Her attempt to expense $6,000 in storage costs prompted further friction.

“You’re talking about someone who’s living in a $9m apartment paid for by the British taxpayer… and she’s niggling over $6,000,” one former colleague said. “In an office where her private secretary was getting $32,000 a year and living in Brooklyn with six roommates. It’s just so incredibly tone deaf.”

Starmer defended his decision last week, declaring Romeo “an outstanding public servant with a 25‑year record of delivering for the British people”.

Romeo herself said it was a “huge privilege” to lead the civil service, promising greater “delivery, efficiency and innovation… to implement the government’s agenda”.

Government sources insisted that senior officials had carried out an “enhanced due diligence process” ahead of Romeo’s historic appointment last week.

“Antonia Romeo is an outstanding leader with 25 years of public service. She has been appointed to three different permanent secretary roles and has led hundreds of thousands of public servants to deliver for governments of all stripes,” a Cabinet Office spokesperson said, noting that no further complaints have been raised since she left New York.

“As we have repeatedly said, one formal complaint was raised nine years ago which was thoroughly investigated. The allegations were dismissed on the basis that there was no case to answer.”

But former colleagues fear that the rushed appointment, coming on the heels of the Mandelson fiasco and dismissing the previous complaint without further investigation could be “potentially disastrous” for Starmer.

Romeo’s supporters in government have hit back, claiming that the criticism is laden with misogyny towards an ambitious, successful woman. The suggestion has infuriated former female colleagues who lodged complaints against their boss a decade ago, only to see her star continue to rise.

One former staffer lamented that colleagues who came forward had been “failed not once, but now twice” with Romeo’s promotion to cabinet secretary. “You cannot gaslight me. I was there and I’m a woman,” another said. “That’s not what happened. That’s not the truth.”

Photograph by Aurora Rose/WWD/Penske Media via Getty Images