The prime minister has appointed Dame Antonia Romeo as the cabinet secretary and head of the civil service.
Romeo, who is permanent secretary of the Home Office and the current longest-serving perm sec in government, becomes the first female cabinet secretary in the role's 110-year history.
She takes up the role with immediate effect, replacing Sir Chris Wormald, who exited the position last week after just 14 months in the role and was previously the longest-serving perm sec in Whitehall.
Keir Starmer said he is "delighted" to appoint Romeo to the role and described her as "an outstanding public servant, with a 25‑year record of delivering for the British people".
"Since becoming prime minister, I’ve been impressed by her professionalism and determination to get things done," Starmer said. "Families across the country are still feeling the squeeze, and this government is focused on easing the cost of living, strengthening public services and restoring pride in our communities. It is essential we have a cabinet secretary who can support the government to make this happen.
"Antonia has shown she is the right person to drive the government to reform and I look forward to working with her to deliver this period of national renewal."
Romeo said being asked to serve in the role is "a huge privilege".
"The civil service is a great and remarkable institution, which I love," she said. "We should be known for delivery, efficiency and innovation, working to implement the government’s agenda and meet the challenges the country faces.
"I look forward to working with all colleagues across the civil service to do this, in support of the prime minister and the government."
Romeo has spent nearly a decade leading economic, public services and security departments. As perm sec of the Department of International Trade, Dame Antonia set up the new department from scratch following Brexit, bringing together trade policy with promotion and finance for the first time.
She then joined the Ministry of Justice as perm sec in 2021, where she led the official response to the civil unrest of summer 2024, working across the criminal justice system to keep the country safe, and launched the Sentencing Review.
As Home Office perm sec, a role which she only took up in April 2025, she launched a plan to restore order and control to the asylum system and the biggest reform of policing in decades, and led the publication of the strategy to build a safer society for women and girls.
On the appointment process, the Cabinet Office said that following Sir Chris Wormald's exit last week from the role, the prime minister and the first civil service commissioner, Gisela Stuart, agreed a process to appoint a new cab sec.
Once this process was complete, Baroness Stuart confirmed that Romeo was "an exceptional candidate of the highest calibre" and that her track record makes her the right candidate for the role, the Cabinet Office said.
Stuart said: "I approved the comprehensive due diligence process and agreed the conclusions drawn, to form the basis for the prime minister to make an appointment decision.
"Dame Antonia Romeo has an excellent track record in leadership positions across the civil service, including three permanent secretary roles in some of the most complex operational departments in government.
Romeo was previously found to be a suitable candidate for the role during the recruitment process for the cab sec in 2024, which led to Wormald being appointed. Under the direction of the first civil service commissioner, further consideration was given to her performance at the MoJ and Home Office since the previous recruitment process took place.
The Cabinet Office said an enhanced due diligence process has also been undertaken by the permanent secretary of the Cabinet Office and the interim government chief people officer, which will form the basis for the appointments to the cabinet secretary role in future.