Starmer’s new Cabinet Secretary made staff join non-binary book club

Dame Antonia Romeo told a civil servant to join a “gender non-conforming book club” as part of their performance review.

The new Cabinet Secretary set out plans for the former staff member to spend one day a week on inclusivity programmes when she was head of the Department for International Trade (DIT) from 2017 to 2021.

These included helping to raise “awareness and visibility of non-binary identities” and attending the book club, according to documents reviewed by The Telegraph.

The employee was told to spend up to 20 per cent of their time fulfilling inclusivity goals such as encouraging colleagues to display their preferred pronouns and “recruiting non-binary staff”.

Sir Keir Starmer elevated Dame Antonia to the post of Cabinet Secretary on Thursday, despite a briefing war erupting against her over historic claims of bullying and misuse of public money.

The new allegations will raise fresh questions about her suitability for the role of Britain’s most senior civil servant.

As part of an annual review, she set the employee a target of joining the department’s “gender non-conforming book club”, where government workers supposedly read Middlesex, a 2002 Pulitzer Prize winning novel by Jeffrey Eugenides about an intersex American, as well as books about people transitioning gender, the source said.

Other activities allegedly assigned directly by Dame Antonia included participating in “discussion of the non-binary corporate network” and “challenging dated and discriminatory societal gender norms of expression, presentation, behaviours, roles or expectations that reinforce the patriarchy”.

The former government worker was also required to help create “an inclusive Civil Service” by “encouraging all staff to display their preferred pronouns on their email signature whenever possible”, “celebrating non-binary awareness week” and “recruiting non-binary staff”.

Fulfilment of such corporate objectives contributed 5 per cent to the civil servant’s annual performance appraisal, which was used to determine their career progression.

A further 15 per cent of their performance review was based on the role they played in the department’s “neurodiversity network for dyslexia and dyspraxia”.

Activities Dame Antonia encouraged them to take part in included “planning blogs” for dyslexia and dyspraxia day, recruiting volunteers to help run “neurodiversity awareness presentations”.

In addition to “recruiting disabled staff”, the former civil servant, who reported directly to Dame Antonia, was tasked with launching a “mentoring/buddying scheme” for those with the condition.

A Cabinet Office spokesman said: “Civil service objectives are agreed between the employee and their line manager, not with the Permanent Secretary. Antonia was not involved in the setting of these objectives.”

Dame Antonia’s appointment was met with a mixed reception from MPs. Zia Yusuf, the Reform Party chairman, branded her the “Queen of woke” and “the embodiment of all that’s wrong with the blob”.

“At DIT, she bombarded staff with weekly emails pushing Transgender Awareness Week, Bi Visibility Day, and even recommended watching films about trans parenthood,” Mr Yusuf wrote on X.

“She flew the Trans flag over HQ, and during BLM, urged everyone to ‘double down’ on diversity agendas.”

However, Nadhim Zahawi, a fellow Reform party member, called her selection a “good appointment”, while Shabana Mahmood, the Home Secretary, said she was “thrilled” by the news.

DIT was established by Theresa May’s administration in 2016 to help secure new global trade deals, promote exports and attract inward investment following the Brexit referendum.

Yet former members of staff have accused Dame Antonia of being more concerned with the department’s Stonewall ranking than with promoting UK trade.

“It was her ultimate goal for the Department for International Trade that we receive a high score from gay rights charity Stonewall as the most inclusive government department for transgender and non-binary people,” a disgruntled former colleague claimed.

Another former DIT member of staff added that Stonewall and pride month were “very high on Antonia’s agenda”.

The controversial LGBTQ+ charity issues a top 100 employers list that recognises paying companies who are “leading in LGBTQ+ workplace inclusion”.

In 2020, Dame Antonia posted on X: “EXCITING NEWS: @tradegovuk are #30 in @StonewallUK’s Top 100 employers list!

“Our 1st time in Top100, follows rise of 340 places over 3 years. Good to see many other depts in Top100 too.

“Really proud of the department & our top #LGBT network.”

She added: “As if that wasn’t enough, DIT have also made it on to the list of Top Trans Employers 2020!

“Absolutely central part of our aim to be the most inclusive dept in the most inclusive employer in the UK, @UKCivilService. #StonewallTop100.”

Government departments began cutting ties with Stonewall in 2020 amid concerns over whether it provided value for money.

The charity purged all departments from its list of top employers in 2023 after Kemi Badenoch, then the minister for women and equalities, told officials to cut ties over its support for the belief that people can self-identify their gender.

In pursuit of a high Stonewall ranking, DIT, under Dame Antonia’s watch, had “tranquillity rooms/safe spaces, glitter jars, hugging pillows, and training classes about bisexuality awareness”, the former member of staff claimed.

In an all-staff email sent in 2020 and seen by The Telegraph, Dame Antonia shared the account of a non-binary member of staff to celebrate non-binary awareness week.

The blog post encouraged colleagues to “support non-binary colleagues in the workplace” and included advice on how to be an ally.

Suggestions included putting preferred pronouns in email signatures and avoiding the phrase “ladies and gentleman” in favour of “more inclusive alternatives such as ‘everyone’”.

Other recommendations were to avoid gendered words to describe members of your family and instead use “‘parents’, ‘partner’, ‘siblings’”.

“If I am making notes in a meeting or referring to another person, I will politely say ‘can I just check which pronouns you prefer?’ – it’s as easy as that!” the blog post read.

A former Whitehall source claimed that presenting as non-binary or as an ally enabled colleagues to climb “very quickly up the career ladder” under Dame Antonia’s leadership.

“I remember thinking at the time, ‘we’re not getting the skill sets we need to deliver effective trade policy,’” they said.

Allies of the first woman to hold the post of Cabinet Secretary in its 110-year history suggested that briefings against her were “dripping with misogyny”.

Accusations include that she acted in an “unreasonable”, “degrading”, “demeaning” and “threatening” way towards staff when she was the UK’s consul-general in New York in 2017.

The new Cabinet Secretary was also accused of claiming £31,000 in expenses for accommodation and eight flights between New York and London, some of them business class, while serving as consul-general. She later repaid some expenses of her own volition.

An investigation found there was “no case to answer”, prompting claims of a cover-up. The Cabinet Office said she had been spoken to about her management style.

On Thursday, the Prime Minister praised her “professionalism” and “ability to get things done” as he announced her appointment to replace Chris Wormald, the outgoing Cabinet Secretary.

He said: “Antonia has shown she is the right person to drive the Government to reform, and I look forward to working with her to deliver this period of national renewal.”

Dame Antonia said it was a “huge privilege” to take on the role. “The Civil Service is a great and remarkable institution, which I love,” she said.

“We should be known for delivery, efficiency and innovation, working to implement the Government’s agenda and meet the challenges the country faces.”

A Cabinet Office spokesman said: “Dame Antonia has spent nearly a decade leading economic, public services and security departments. She is an outstanding public servant, with a 25‑year record of delivering for the British people.”

[Source: Daily Telegraph]