- Tue Feb 17, 2026 7:13 pm
#106204
Wait, I thought the problem was that there was a boys' club in Number 10.
Tubby Isaacs liked this
s the UK's consul general between 2016 and 2017 Dame Antonia's job involved promoting UK trade and business in New York, in the immediate aftermath of the referendum to take Britain out of the EU.
The BBC has learned that 47% of staff in New York said they had experienced bullying in the workplace in an annual staff survey - the highest level ever recorded anywhere in the Foreign Office.
It is understood that in most government departments or divisions the figure is usually in low single figures.
The survey covered a 12 month period, including three months in which Dame Antonia was in post.
Dame Antonia's critics acknowledge her abilities in the documents seen by the BBC, with one saying she was "smart, dynamic and really talented." Another said she was an "extremely intelligent, innovative thinker".
But there was also criticism of her management style, with one person saying she was "very demanding, very disrespectful, very threatening".
"I'm used to big egos but this was something else. The minute she heard the word 'no' she'd say I'll go to your boss. But it was worse than that. She would go to your boss's boss and your boss's boss's boss," they added.
Someone else told us: "If you don't say 'yes' to her she's not only going to screw your career, but she'll screw all of those around you."
Her approach, it was claimed, "inflames rather than calms a situation" and "creates a culture of fear and anxiety".
The majority of the complaints seen by the BBC were from female members of staff.
The allegations were so serious a former ambassador to Japan, Sir Tim Hitchens, was flown to New York to look into it.
His work examined allegations of "bullying behaviour, financial probity, and putting her private objectives above those of the wider Consulate-General or government".
The BBC has been told the Foreign Office's investigation concluded there was a case for Dame Antonia to answer about her behaviour towards colleagues, but there was no case to answer about what was called "financial probity" and is understood to refer to expenses.
Someone else told us: "If you don't say 'yes' to her she's not only going to screw your career, but she'll screw all of those around you."What actually happened here? Isn't that rather important?
A former top civil servant has urged No 10 to do “more due diligence” as it prepares to replace the cabinet secretary, Chris Wormald, with Antonia Romeo, the frontrunner for the role.I find the "I'm not saying this, but" way of speaking deeply irritating, but it's quite the thing to say anything about this subject.
Sir Simon McDonald, the former permanent secretary of the Foreign Office, said he had tried to warn No 10 the process needed to start from scratch and it was vital that the prime minister followed a thorough procedure given the importance of the role.
He told Channel 4 News: “The due diligence needs to be thorough. If the candidate mentioned in the media is the one, in my view, the due diligence has some way still to go.”
Kay Mason Billig, the Conservative leader of Norfolk county council, said she would no longer take part in local government reorganisation (LGR) or devolution plans in the area, saying the council could not participate in that and simultaneously hold elections.Black belt in no-can-do.
As well as the concerns about the political impact of the postponed elections, some Labour MPs are also sceptical about the wider idea of reorganising councils, disputing the idea it will save money and warning that many of the new unitary authorities risk feeling too large and remote for many voters.Local Government reorganization has had this reputation as a minefield since Heath, based on some unpopular structures with funny names, like Avon and Humberside. Is it really much more difficult than anything else?
One backbencher said: “I just don’t get why you would do something as complex and risky as this in a first term. It’s a second-term project, at best.”
kreuzberger wrote: ↑Tue Feb 17, 2026 10:33 pm Antonia Romeo is not the sole candidate, merely the one anointed by the press so that they can chop her legs off and coordinate another of their attacks on Starmer.Never underestimate the priapic frenzy the British press can work itself into over the most marginal material. In this case, "Latina name and tight-ish sweater".
This is painfully transparent.
mattomac wrote: ↑Wed Feb 18, 2026 11:10 am Yeah it seems blatantly obvious from here.Indeed. Roger Mosey, a former head of news at BBC TV, has a good article where he makes the point that at least in his time, you had to get someone on the World At One to create an "internal dissent" story. Now every MP can bang out a controversial tweet over breakfast. Lots of backbenchers don't understand the need for any discipline.
Someone moaning about due process when she hasn’t even been appointed.
As for second term, Labour won’t get a second term especially if mumbling backbenchers without a backbone don’t stop grumbling to the press.
Andy McDandy wrote: ↑Wed Feb 18, 2026 11:48 amI've already seen a ' where art thou.' Jeremy Clarkson will be working out how he can fit alphas divorcing Romeo in his column. Meanwhile Littlejohn will remember Cesar Romeo played the Joker in the 60s Batman series. Joker, Romeo, Starmer' s chief of staff geddit? Ha ha hakreuzberger wrote: ↑Tue Feb 17, 2026 10:33 pm Antonia Romeo is not the sole candidate, merely the one anointed by the press so that they can chop her legs off and coordinate another of their attacks on Starmer.Never underestimate the priapic frenzy the British press can work itself into over the most marginal material. In this case, "Latina name and tight-ish sweater".
This is painfully transparent.
Youngian wrote: ↑Wed Feb 18, 2026 12:21 pmNah, I think they'll go for her birth name (double barreled) and the fact she has four middle names. This will be a sign that she's "typical out of touch woke civil servant", even if she's worked for their (preferred) Tory governments for 14 years too. Anything that went wrong under Tory ministers when she was around will get hung around her neck. Another serial failure promoted by failure Sir Keir.
I've already seen a ' where art thou.' Jeremy Clarkson will be working out how he can fit alphas divorcing Romeo in his column. Meanwhile Littlejohn will remember Cesar Romeo played the Joker in the 60s Batman series. Joker, Romeo, Starmer' s chief of staff geddit? Ha ha ha
Household energy costs in Great Britain are expected to tumble by an average of £117 a year from April after Rachel Reeves announced in November’s budget that the cost of green subsidies would be removed from domestic bills.This is what lots of people wanted to happen- costs removed from bills to general taxation. I predict that she'll get not the slightest credit for it. "Short sighted Reeves slashes climate investment" or "Stealth tax Reeves thinks you're stupid". Take your pick.
The government’s quarterly cap on energy bills is forecast to fall after the chancellor’s decision to shift the levies used to support renewable energy projects into general taxation, and scrap a bill payer-funded energy efficiency scheme, according to Cornwall Insight, a leading energy consultancy.
- By Spoonman