LONDON — U.K. Prime Minister Liz Truss has overruled her Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng over the appointment of a new top official to run the Treasury.
Kwarteng wanted Antonia Romeo for the role of Treasury permanent secretary and she was appointed to the role last week, according to people familiar with the process. Transitional arrangements in preparation for her arrival had already begun, the people said.
But Truss has now changed her mind and is believed to have opted for James Bowler instead.
Both Romeo, who runs the Ministry of Justice, and Bowler, who is the top official at the Department for International Trade, are well qualified for the position, as experienced civil servants who are current permanent secretaries.
Kwarteng and Truss initially wanted Romeo for the role. The fact Romeo had not worked in the Treasury before was seen as a plus, given Truss’s ambition to shake up what her allies described as “Treasury orthodoxy.”
But the PM now appears to have scaled back her agenda after a market meltdown followed her announcement of sweeping, unfunded tax cuts. Bowler is seen as a Treasury insider, having spent much of his career working in different roles in the department.
Kwarteng has also brought forward the announcement of his plan to balance the government’s finances to October 31, almost a month earlier than the original date.
A Treasury spokesman said the department would not comment on “speculation” and an appointment would be announced through the usual channels in due course.
