The UK’s top civil servant has vowed to fix “tame and risk-averse” and “reactive, not strategic” behaviours in the civil service.
Dame Antonia Romeo delivered the cabinet secretary’s annual lecture at the London School of Economics on Tuesday evening with prime minister Andy Burnham and first secretary of state Louise Haigh in the audience.
Romeo, who was appointed cabinet secretary in February 2026, cited criticisms of the civil service. “They are no less important for being well-rehearsed: tame and risk-averse; reactive, not strategic; siloed, not working across boundaries”, she said. “These criticisms must be addressed.”
She said: “In my 26 years in the service, nine as a permanent secretary, I have observed some of them, seen improvements in some, and doubtless been guilty of some of them myself. I am determined to fix them.”
Romeo said these behaviours were “a function of the system”.
She stated: “They are set in what is incentivised, what is rewarded, and what is expected. So if we want to change behaviours, it follows that we need to change the system.
“And I believe we are on a burning platform.”
The cabinet secretary is responsible for supporting the prime minister and the cabinet, as well as ensuring the effective and efficient running of government as a whole. According to the cabinet manual, the cabinet secretary, “unless unavoidably absent, attends all meetings of cabinet and is responsible for the smooth running of cabinet meetings and for preparing records of its discussions and decisions.”
Romeo also serves as the head of the civil service. (On occasion, the roles of cabinet secretary and head of the civil service have been split).
Romeo said the civil service was “no longer unequivocally considered to be the best in the world”, pointing to a 2024 Blavatnik Index in which the UK was joint sixth overall. “I want us to be first,” she said.
She argued the service needed to be “reimagined arguably in the most fundamental way since its formation.”
She outlined five imperatives for change: artificial intelligence, new global threats, declining public trust, the need to increase public service productivity, and the prime minister’s “devolution by default” agenda.
She said OECD figures showed only 4 in 10 members of the public trusted the civil service, “significantly down in half a decade”, and that public service productivity was “almost 3% below its pre-pandemic peak”.
Romeo said structural incentives needed to be reformed. “A framework where the quickest way to get a pay rise is to move to a different role is fundamentally the wrong incentive”, she said. “It results in churn, and a lack of incentives for leaders to develop their people.”
She added: “Poor performance drives out good performance and discretionary effort, and we must urgently address that.
“We will strengthen processes and train and equip managers to reward those making the biggest impact, and take decisive action on poor performance.”
Romeo said a review into the permanent civil service, which began in July, would report to the prime minister before next summer. She said it would “confront the tough questions”, including whether current departmental structures remain optimal and what AI and devolution can mean for civil service boundaries and accountability.
On AI, she said: “Yes, jobs will change. There are obvious areas where AI can help automate tasks, leading to increased efficiency and job augmentation… But AI won’t replace the need for human creativity, interaction, or decision making.”
She said a refreshed Civil Service Code, which has not been updated in more than 10 years, would be published in the spring. She suggested its values could include “curiosity, courage, and excellence”.
Romeo concluded: “This is not a time for incremental change. We have been tasked by ministers with a fundamental rewiring of the state.
“The public’s expectations of us are, rightly, high. We have to do it, we can do it, and we will do it.”
