When you’re a trade union leader, it’s difficult to appear positive. Inevitably, what we do means we’re clearing up a mess somewhere or being outraged from East Tilbury on the latest government shenanigans. It’s why I look the way I do in every photograph the press use of me. At home I couldn’t be cheerier or more upbeat, honest.
Occasionally, despite my best intentions, a glimmer of hope shines through and my demeanour changes. This happened last week, fleetingly, but it was noticed. After almost a fortnight of the most self-defeating and damaging conduct of government, from the briefing against the former cabinet secretary, his removal and the vacuum created being filled with misogynist bile, we finally had the appointment of a new cabinet secretary, Antonia Romeo. Rather ridiculously for 2026, she is the first woman to be appointed in the role.
All is not as it should be in government. With a large majority in parliament and a former civil servant as PM, the promise of doing things differently felt genuine. Yet here we are, once again, amidst the Westminster psychodrama that saps so much energy from government and detracts from the job at hand.
Antonia’s appointment provides an opportunity to “move on”, as they say. It’s a loaded phrase often used by those who are responsible for the mess they want you to “move on” from. It is also, though, an opportunity for the civil service and its leadership to “reset”, as this government is often fond of saying.
Antonia said in her message to civil servants: “No one will be a stronger advocate of the civil service than I am. I will stand up strongly for the civil service and I will work with you all to maintain and build trust in our institution.” That will be music to the ears of many civil servants. We need the service to be a confident partner in government, demonstrating our values and our value. Championing the successes, efficiency and innovation that leads to better outcomes for citizens and happens every day across every department, agency and arm’s-length body.
There are limitations on what the civil service can do to promote its success, particularly if ministers – as they have done in the past – feel it is in their political interests to attack, rather than champion, the service. But that’s not where we should be or indeed – for all the problems of the last two years – where I think we genuinely are with this government. After a decade of being almost infantilised by ministers, we need to get our mojo back. Why should ministers, the public or future ministers, for that matter, have confidence in the ability of the civil service to deliver if they never hear about it when it does?
Governing is tough. No one tackles issues of the scale and complexity that the civil service does, or indeed is subject to the scrutiny and transparency that rightly comes from being the administrative arm of an elected government.
We need a civil service leadership that will stand up for the values of an impartial, permanent civil service – not as part of some woke ideology, but because it delivers better government. That means we need to shout about the results of that better government when it makes a difference and hold our hands up to the mistakes and flaws when it doesn’t. Confident, visible leadership is required. That’s no easy task given the complexities of departmental structures and the dual role the cabinet secretary has between supporting the prime minister and leading the civil service. Difficult, but not impossible.
Antonia Romeo, like every cabinet secretary, will have strengths and weaknesses. She is at times untypical of many past civil service leaders and unafraid of profile. That’s a challenge when the civil service essentially is meant to have no persona, as it merely represents the elected government of the day. There are strong views on this issue and it’s a path fraught with challenges.
There is legitimate public interest in public servants who have a huge influence in how government works, but few know more than Antonia the flip side of that, or how women in the public eye are treated by the press. It is, however, an area where I have felt for some time the civil service needs to improve, including in giving its senior leaders the skills and resource needed to do it well. It is also exactly what we need right now. Hence my uncharacteristic optimism.
Dave Penman is general secretary of the FDA union