Lead: Documents seen by the BBC show Dame Antonia Romeo, the leading candidate to become the next head of the UK civil service, was the subject of several allegations about her conduct while serving as the UK consul general in New York in 2016–2017. The Cabinet Office says one formal complaint from nine years ago was investigated and found to present “no case to answer,” while former officials and contemporaneous papers say multiple people raised concerns. An internal survey from that period recorded a 47% rate of staff reporting bullying in the New York post — the highest recorded across the Foreign Office.
Key takeaways
- Multiple contemporaneous complaints: Documents indicate several individuals raised concerns about Romeo’s behaviour in New York in 2016–2017, not a single isolated allegation.
- Official finding: The government says three allegations (expenses use and alleged bullying) were investigated and that there was “no case to answer.”
- High reported bullying rate: A Foreign Office staff survey covering a 12‑month period that included three months of her tenure recorded 47% of staff saying they had experienced bullying — the highest in the department.
- Senior figures’ accounts differ: Sir Matthew Rycroft and Rupert McNeil have publicly described the matter as one formal complaint, while other sources say multiple complaints were bundled into one dossier.
- External probe: A former ambassador, Sir Tim Hitchens, was sent to New York to examine allegations including bullying and questions about financial probity.
- Career context: Dame Antonia has since held senior roles across three government departments and is currently sharing the cabinet secretary duties on an interim basis after Sir Chris Wormald’s departure.
Background
As consul general in New York between 2016 and 2017, Dame Antonia Romeo’s remit included promoting UK trade and business in the aftermath of the 2016 EU referendum. The post is high profile and combines diplomatic engagement with public outreach; overseas missions are routinely expected to promote UK priorities and brands. The period coincided with heightened diplomatic and commercial activity, placing considerable pressure on senior local teams.
Human resources processes within the Foreign Office and the wider civil service require complaints to be investigated; where possible, issues are recorded and assessed by senior officials. According to contemporaneous material, concerns raised about management style and use of social media were the central elements of the New York complaints. Sir Tim Hitchens’s review reportedly covered allegations of bullying behaviour, financial probity and prioritising private objectives over the Consulate-General’s mission.
Main event
Documents made available to the BBC portray multiple staff members describing treatment they found “unreasonable,” “degrading” and “demeaning.” Testimony cited in the documents refers to behaviour that staff said generated a climate of fear, with one member telling investigators they felt “emotionally battered.” Several complaints were said to have come from female colleagues.
Some contemporaneous emails focused on Romeo’s use of social media and efforts to raise a personal profile. One internal note complained that her emphasis on personal branding created tensions and undermined the wider priorities of Her Majesty’s Government. Government sources counter that magazine features were arranged by the Foreign Office communications team and that diplomats are expected to promote the UK, including via social channels.
Officials say three separate allegations were examined (including expense questions and bullying claims) and that investigators concluded there was no case to answer on financial probity and that formal proceedings were dismissed. However, several former officials told the BBC the complaints had been presented to London together in a dossier and that describing the episode as a single complaint understates the number of people who came forward.
Senior civil servants have offered differing public accounts. Sir Matthew Rycroft and Rupert McNeil have both stated that there was one formal complaint, while other sources involved at the time say multiple individuals lodged concerns that were consolidated administratively. The Cabinet Office has defended Dame Antonia’s record, noting her 25 years of public service and multiple senior appointments.
Analysis & implications
The dispute over how many complaints were made matters for two linked questions: procedural transparency and suitability for the top civil service role. If multiple people raised concerns that were folded into a single dossier, questions arise about how granular allegations are recorded and how that affects senior appointment vetting. The cabinet secretary leads the civil service and is expected to command internal trust; lingering staff concerns can erode confidence even when formal findings clear an individual.
Politically, the controversy arrives as central Whitehall seeks stability following a recent leadership change; Romeo is one of three interim holders of the cabinet secretary functions after Sir Chris Wormald left last week. Opponents and civil service reform advocates may use the episode to press for clearer HR transparency and stronger safeguards for staff raising workplace complaints.
Operationally, a high reported bullying rate at a major overseas post — 47% in the cited survey — is an outlier compared with the low single‑digit figures typical in other departments. That contrast heightens scrutiny of management approaches during high‑pressure postings and could prompt renewed emphasis on leadership training, complaint handling and staff wellbeing measures across diplomatic missions.
Comparison & data
| Post/period | Bullying reported (%) |
|---|---|
| New York Consulate‑General (2016–17 survey period) | 47% |
| Typical FCO/department divisions (reported baseline) | Low single digits |
The 47% figure covers a 12‑month staff survey window that included approximately three months during Romeo’s tenure and represents the highest recorded rate across the Foreign Office. By contrast, most departmental subdivisions report bullying figures in the low single digits. While surveys capture perceptions rather than adjudicated misconduct, they are widely used as an early signal of workplace culture issues and inform internal reviews.
Reactions & quotes
Cabinet Office spokespeople have emphasised Dame Antonia’s experience and the outcome of the original HR review. They frame the matter as a closed personnel process that produced no finding requiring sanction.
“Antonia Romeo is an outstanding leader with 25 years of public service,”
Cabinet Office (official statement)
Other senior officials have reiterated that only a single formal complaint was logged and investigated at the time, while contemporaneous documents and some sources contest that characterization, saying multiple people raised concerns that were bundled together.
“To argue publicly that there was just one complaint is willfully misleading. They were presented to London in one dossier, but there were multiple complaints,”
Unidentified senior source cited by BBC
Several former colleagues who contributed testimony described the workplace effects in personal terms, highlighting the emotional impact on staff. Those accounts underscore why the episode has resurfaced as Romeo is considered for the most senior permanent civil service post.
“I felt emotionally battered,”
Former team member (contemporaneous testimony)
Unconfirmed
- Exact number of distinct complainants: sources say multiple complaints were bundled into one dossier, but the precise count of separate complainants has not been independently verified.
- Details of any expense irregularities: the investigation reportedly found no case to answer on “financial probity,” but granular expense records and adjudications have not been published.
- Whether negative outcomes for staff alleged in testimony directly resulted from interactions with Dame Antonia: contemporaneous accounts describe career harm as a claim, but causal links have not been publicly established.
Bottom line
The episode highlights a clash between formal HR conclusions and contemporaneous staff testimony: the government records a dismissed investigation, while multiple colleagues and documents speak to a pattern of difficult management. For an appointment as consequential as cabinet secretary, both the factual record and perceptions within the civil service matter; unresolved perceptions can undermine leadership effectiveness even when formal findings are neutral.
Moving forward, the outcome will likely hinge on whether Whitehall and ministers prioritise procedural finality or address the broader cultural signals raised by the New York survey and staff testimony. Expect renewed calls for clearer public accounting of how complaints are recorded, investigated and used in senior appointment decisions.
Sources
- BBC News (media report; documents and contemporaneous testimony)