Alex Hall Hall
@alexhh.bsky.social
Ex-🇬🇧diplomat. Now an 🇺🇸. Resigned over Brexit lies. Frmr Ambassdr to 🇬🇪 . Writer Byline Times. Patron, European Movement. Advisor Eurasia Foundation. Member, Commission on Political Power looking at how to strengthen UK democracy. Frazzled mom. Owner of 2 🐕🦺
Report says that while Cab Office dismissed the claims against Romeo, the Foreign Office did not. Echoes of my experience in 2019, when Cabinet Office refused to address my ethical concerns about Brexit, but FCO took them seriously. Cab Office has become politicized. www.channel4.com/news/sources...
Sources tell Channel 4 News allegations against Dame Romeo were not dismissed
Following days of political turmoil and speculation - Sir Chris Wormald is standing down as the head of the Civil Service - after just over a year in the post.
www.channel4.com
February 12, 2026 at 8:46 PM
Report says that while Cab Office dismissed the claims against Romeo, the Foreign Office did not. Echoes of my experience in 2019, when Cabinet Office refused to address my ethical concerns about Brexit, but FCO took them seriously. Cab Office has become politicized. www.channel4.com/news/sources...
You’d have thought that should be the rule for every nationality
February 12, 2026 at 6:58 PM
You’d have thought that should be the rule for every nationality
Just heard Adam Boulton on Times radio expostulating and pontificating like a pub bore about the current hoo hah over Cabinet Secretary, quoting unnamed Whitehall officials and lambasting PM, and Simon McDonald, w/o knowing any of the details. So easy to take cheap shots. Is he always like this?
February 12, 2026 at 6:57 PM
Just heard Adam Boulton on Times radio expostulating and pontificating like a pub bore about the current hoo hah over Cabinet Secretary, quoting unnamed Whitehall officials and lambasting PM, and Simon McDonald, w/o knowing any of the details. So easy to take cheap shots. Is he always like this?
Reposted by Alex Hall Hall
Day after Alex Pretti killing I complained to BBC about presentation of White House statements and evidence as equivalent. Duty of balance doesn’t extend to complicity with clear lies, I said. BBC could and should report WH making false statements as a *fact of the story*. Today I got response …
February 12, 2026 at 3:34 PM
Day after Alex Pretti killing I complained to BBC about presentation of White House statements and evidence as equivalent. Duty of balance doesn’t extend to complicity with clear lies, I said. BBC could and should report WH making false statements as a *fact of the story*. Today I got response …
Your article is spot on - but doesn’t explore the reasons why. Are they afraid? Clueless? Complicit? What?
February 12, 2026 at 2:22 PM
Your article is spot on - but doesn’t explore the reasons why. Are they afraid? Clueless? Complicit? What?
I believe there is an injunction in the US constitution against “cruel, inhuman or degrading “ treatment.
February 12, 2026 at 2:21 PM
I believe there is an injunction in the US constitution against “cruel, inhuman or degrading “ treatment.
Reposted by Alex Hall Hall
A diplomat has to be on two sides at once - that of their home govt and that of the country they are posted in. The idea of 'going native' sounds old-fashioned, but it's also real. In an environment as toxic as Trump 2.0 that's a real risk, without any judgement on the character of the Ambassador.
February 12, 2026 at 2:15 PM
A diplomat has to be on two sides at once - that of their home govt and that of the country they are posted in. The idea of 'going native' sounds old-fashioned, but it's also real. In an environment as toxic as Trump 2.0 that's a real risk, without any judgement on the character of the Ambassador.
Reposted by Alex Hall Hall
Well there were plenty of good replacements on offer but the govt thought a high profile politician would flatter Trump (I doubt he cared). But there is a principle about not letting diplomats have indefinite postings and I think it makes sense for reasons beyond tradition and buggin's turn.
February 12, 2026 at 2:12 PM
Well there were plenty of good replacements on offer but the govt thought a high profile politician would flatter Trump (I doubt he cared). But there is a principle about not letting diplomats have indefinite postings and I think it makes sense for reasons beyond tradition and buggin's turn.
Reposted by Alex Hall Hall
I don't usually talk politics, but I am just going to put out there that Impeachment Convictions need 67 votes in the US Senate to go through (Unless I'm misremembering). Can we please energize the youth and get them to use the 6-7 funny hands meme as a rallying cry to go vote and flip seats?
February 11, 2026 at 9:40 PM
I don't usually talk politics, but I am just going to put out there that Impeachment Convictions need 67 votes in the US Senate to go through (Unless I'm misremembering). Can we please energize the youth and get them to use the 6-7 funny hands meme as a rallying cry to go vote and flip seats?
1000% this.
You'd think this would be obvious. But it isn't. In the end, good policy will often produce good communications. Good communications will never on its own produce good policy. And in a valence world, policy and outcomes are what counts.
February 12, 2026 at 2:17 PM
1000% this.
I think you may be right.
February 12, 2026 at 2:13 PM
I think you may be right.
Perhaps Starmer should appoint himself Cabinet Secretary, because he has all the cautious, uncharismatic, yet essentially decent, honest and professional instincts to do that job well, while letting the Labour Party focus on finding someone with better political skills to replace him as PM!!!
In Britain, the wheels appear to be coming off of the plans to appoint Antonia Romeo as the U.K. Cabinet secretary.
Her former boss has warned Keir Starmer risks an “unnecessary tragedy” by repeating past vetting failures.
London Playbook has more 👇
Her former boss has warned Keir Starmer risks an “unnecessary tragedy” by repeating past vetting failures.
London Playbook has more 👇
Wherefore art though, Romeo?
Presented by Lloyds Banking Group By SAM FRANCIS with BETHANY DAWSON PRESENTED BY Send tips here | Subscribe for free | Listen to Playbook and view in your browser BREAKING NEWS: U.K. GDP grew by 0…
www.politico.eu
February 12, 2026 at 2:11 PM
Perhaps Starmer should appoint himself Cabinet Secretary, because he has all the cautious, uncharismatic, yet essentially decent, honest and professional instincts to do that job well, while letting the Labour Party focus on finding someone with better political skills to replace him as PM!!!
Starmer perhaps is drawn to these types as an offset for his duller persona….
February 12, 2026 at 2:04 PM
Starmer perhaps is drawn to these types as an offset for his duller persona….
That being said, I came across plenty of bullying, self-promoting men in the civil service whose careers did not seem to be held back by their overweening self-regard and ambition. Not an excuse for Romeo, if there are similar concerns about her, but still, some double standards at play, here?
Simon McDonald may have had his faults, but I never remember him as sexist. This is same man who brought down Boris Johnson, by revealing Johnson knew about MP Pincher’s misconduct. It’s legit to ask if he’s right to speak out again now - but it suggests his concerns are genuine and substantive.
🔥 "Government source" to The Times hits back at Simon MacDonald over Antonia Romeo:
"This is a desperate attempt from a senior male official whose time has passed but spent their career getting Britain into the mess it finds itself in today."
"This is a desperate attempt from a senior male official whose time has passed but spent their career getting Britain into the mess it finds itself in today."
February 12, 2026 at 2:03 PM
That being said, I came across plenty of bullying, self-promoting men in the civil service whose careers did not seem to be held back by their overweening self-regard and ambition. Not an excuse for Romeo, if there are similar concerns about her, but still, some double standards at play, here?
Starmer would make an excellent cabinet secretary- perhaps he should take that role, and focus on finding someone more politically talented to replace him as PM!
February 12, 2026 at 1:51 PM
Starmer would make an excellent cabinet secretary- perhaps he should take that role, and focus on finding someone more politically talented to replace him as PM!
Oh, this is a fun exercise. If the aim was to wow Trump, then definitely should have been Prince and Princess of Wales. A modern day WilliamandMary combo. Particularly fitting for US 250 independence anniversary. Or, perhaps, for anti-woke, white male bonding, with an edge, Jeremy Clarkson?
February 12, 2026 at 1:49 PM
Oh, this is a fun exercise. If the aim was to wow Trump, then definitely should have been Prince and Princess of Wales. A modern day WilliamandMary combo. Particularly fitting for US 250 independence anniversary. Or, perhaps, for anti-woke, white male bonding, with an edge, Jeremy Clarkson?
Tbf, navigating Washington these days does require a certain amount of survival skills…..!
February 12, 2026 at 1:40 PM
Tbf, navigating Washington these days does require a certain amount of survival skills…..!
Reposted by Alex Hall Hall
NEGUSE: AG Bondi, that man works for you now, right? The man in that video from J6 yelling 'kill them!' at cops. His name is Jared Wise.
BONDI: He does work for us, yes. I believe he was pardoned
NEGUSE: And you expect hard-working police officers to believe you take law enforcement seriously?
BONDI: He does work for us, yes. I believe he was pardoned
NEGUSE: And you expect hard-working police officers to believe you take law enforcement seriously?
February 11, 2026 at 6:28 PM
NEGUSE: AG Bondi, that man works for you now, right? The man in that video from J6 yelling 'kill them!' at cops. His name is Jared Wise.
BONDI: He does work for us, yes. I believe he was pardoned
NEGUSE: And you expect hard-working police officers to believe you take law enforcement seriously?
BONDI: He does work for us, yes. I believe he was pardoned
NEGUSE: And you expect hard-working police officers to believe you take law enforcement seriously?
Funnily enough, I think the PM used to have all the dull, plodding, cautious, serious, decent, professional qualities and instincts necessary to be a good senior civil servant. I understand he was regarded as a successful DOP. Entering politics was perhaps his biggest mistake!
February 12, 2026 at 1:27 PM
Funnily enough, I think the PM used to have all the dull, plodding, cautious, serious, decent, professional qualities and instincts necessary to be a good senior civil servant. I understand he was regarded as a successful DOP. Entering politics was perhaps his biggest mistake!
I suggest PM would be wise not to rush to appoint a new Cabinet Secretary, let alone one with a reputation for self-promotion and flamboyance. The job requires someone willing to work hard, quietly, professionally, behind the scenes, with experience and good relationships across Whitehall.
In Britain, the wheels appear to be coming off of the plans to appoint Antonia Romeo as the U.K. Cabinet secretary.
Her former boss has warned Keir Starmer risks an “unnecessary tragedy” by repeating past vetting failures.
London Playbook has more 👇
Her former boss has warned Keir Starmer risks an “unnecessary tragedy” by repeating past vetting failures.
London Playbook has more 👇
Wherefore art though, Romeo?
Presented by Lloyds Banking Group By SAM FRANCIS with BETHANY DAWSON PRESENTED BY Send tips here | Subscribe for free | Listen to Playbook and view in your browser BREAKING NEWS: U.K. GDP grew by 0…
www.politico.eu
February 12, 2026 at 1:12 PM
I suggest PM would be wise not to rush to appoint a new Cabinet Secretary, let alone one with a reputation for self-promotion and flamboyance. The job requires someone willing to work hard, quietly, professionally, behind the scenes, with experience and good relationships across Whitehall.
Reposted by Alex Hall Hall
One of the difficulties here is that, unless she denies it, the assumption has to be that the “government source” was Antonia Romeo herself.
And that if she denies it, one still must assume it might have been her.
As for being brilliant, there’s no doubt she thinks she is. As you say, she may be.
And that if she denies it, one still must assume it might have been her.
As for being brilliant, there’s no doubt she thinks she is. As you say, she may be.
February 12, 2026 at 10:26 AM
One of the difficulties here is that, unless she denies it, the assumption has to be that the “government source” was Antonia Romeo herself.
And that if she denies it, one still must assume it might have been her.
As for being brilliant, there’s no doubt she thinks she is. As you say, she may be.
And that if she denies it, one still must assume it might have been her.
As for being brilliant, there’s no doubt she thinks she is. As you say, she may be.
Simon McDonald may have had his faults, but I never remember him as sexist. This is same man who brought down Boris Johnson, by revealing Johnson knew about MP Pincher’s misconduct. It’s legit to ask if he’s right to speak out again now - but it suggests his concerns are genuine and substantive.
🔥 "Government source" to The Times hits back at Simon MacDonald over Antonia Romeo:
"This is a desperate attempt from a senior male official whose time has passed but spent their career getting Britain into the mess it finds itself in today."
"This is a desperate attempt from a senior male official whose time has passed but spent their career getting Britain into the mess it finds itself in today."
February 12, 2026 at 12:50 PM
Simon McDonald may have had his faults, but I never remember him as sexist. This is same man who brought down Boris Johnson, by revealing Johnson knew about MP Pincher’s misconduct. It’s legit to ask if he’s right to speak out again now - but it suggests his concerns are genuine and substantive.
I anticipated that I’d get a few comments like these. For me, it’s bringing back memories of Torvill and Dean, when the Brits were outraged and claiming they’d been robbed. I love the ice dancing. It’s almost impossible to be objective!
February 12, 2026 at 12:23 PM
I anticipated that I’d get a few comments like these. For me, it’s bringing back memories of Torvill and Dean, when the Brits were outraged and claiming they’d been robbed. I love the ice dancing. It’s almost impossible to be objective!