Dame Antonia Romeo DCB

Biography
Antonia Romeo became the Permanent Secretary of the Home Office in April 2025, with responsibility for delivering the safer streets mission, secure borders, immigration and passports, homeland security, and protecting vulnerable people.
Before this Antonia was Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Justice for 4 years, with responsibility for criminal justice, prison and probation services, courts, legal services, and constitutional policy. Before that she was Permanent Secretary of the Department for International Trade with responsibility for trade policy, trade negotiations and market access, trade promotion and finance, inward and outward business investment, and the GREAT campaign.
Antonia joined the Civil Service in 2000 as a professional economist following an early career in the private sector at strategic consultancy firm Oliver Wyman.
She has held several senior roles in government, including:
- Her Majesty鈥檚 Consul General in New York and Director General Economic and Commercial Affairs USA, and Special Envoy to the US technology companies, based in New York
- Director General and Head of the Economic and Domestic Secretariat in the Cabinet Office, responsible for co-ordinating policy advice to the Prime Minister and the Cabinet, and delivery of the Prime Minister鈥檚 top priorities
- Director General, Criminal Justice at the Ministry of Justice (MOJ), responsible for all criminal justice policy and major programmes
- Director General, Transformation at MOJ, responsible for reform and savings programmes, strategy, digital services, communications, group HR and group estates
- Executive Director, Enterprise and Reform at Cabinet Office, responsible for reforming the government鈥檚 governance and board model, working with businesses
Antonia sits on the Civil Service Board and is Chair of the Senior Leadership Committee.
Antonia holds an MA (PPE) from Oxford University, an MSc (Economics) from the London School of Economics, and an Advanced Management Programme diploma from Columbia Business School.
Permanent Secretary
The role of Permanent Secretary carries with it the responsibility of Principal Accounting Officer, ensuring that the resources authorised by Parliament are used for the purposes authorised by Parliament.
Other responsibilities include:
- agreeing with the Home Secretary the overarching strategy for delivering ministerial objectives
- leading, and managing the department to ensure that it operates as effectively and efficiently as possible
- reporting to the Home Secretary and to Parliament on overall performance
Previous roles in government
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Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice
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Permanent Secretary, DIT
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Director-General Economic and Commercial Affairs USA
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British Consul General to New York
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Director General, Economic and Domestic Secretariat
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Government's Special Envoy to the U.S. technology companies
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Director General, Criminal Justice