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A well-placed briefing to the Times reveals Cabinet Secretary Antonia Romeo is set to gain significant new authority over the Whitehall machine, with the direct ability to overrule permanent secretaries in what would amount to a massive centralisation of power. All set to be confirmed at the King’s Speech…
This will come as no surprise to co-conspirators: Romeo has been on a war path to secure this win for some time. A few months ago, even before Burnham’s putsch, Romeo’s ‘personal objectives’ appeared as if by magic in the Times (again). She then described herself as Starmer’s “principal policy adviser“, and talked up plans to rewrite the Civil Service code. Burnham appears to be giving her what she wants and then some. There is still even still talk of splitting the Cabinet Office in two…
As Guido has previously reported, however, this may cause friction with ‘the most powerful woman in government’ Louise Haigh. Haigh is determined to prove she is the last person in the room with the PM. The Burnham Whisperer…
When Burnham went on his richly-deserved holiday just two weeks into the job, Haigh’s name was all over top No10 releases and briefings. Even the decision to part ways with government comms secretary David Dinsmore officially came from Haigh, not Burnham. Giving Antonia Romeo – a civil servant – this kind of boost may turn heads at the Cabinet table…
Robert Jenrick on the Today programme:
“Can you now give a guarantee to your listeners this morning that no BBC presenter in the future will be exposed as a paedophile, as a number have been in the recent past? No, of course you can’t…”