10 Downing's New PM Better Like Cats!

Mary Simpson
by Mary Simpson

13-year resident Larry the Cat isn't going anywhere. And that's perfectly fine with new PM.

Photo Credit: Drop of Light / Shutterstock.com

David Cameron, Theresa May, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, Rishi Sunak, and now Keir Starmer.

Nope, not the names of the latest boy (or girl) band. It’s the last 13 years’ worth of UK Prime Ministers that have put down roots at the official PM residence: 10 Downing Street.


And while none have called the prestigious address “home” for more than six years, there is one constant. And his name is Larry. And he’s a cat.


You see, 13 years ago Larry was brought to the London abode with an important job to do. – catch mice. And while he has outlasted the previous tenants, incoming PM Keir Starmer has confirmed that 16-year-old Larry still has a place on his staff.


Now this grey and white tabby isn’t a cast-off from a previous administration that forgot to pack the cat when leadership changed. He’s a former stray adopted from the world-renowned Battersea Dogs and Cats Home. Or rather, he was enlisted by the UK Government (at the request of then PM David Cameron) back in 2011 to help tackle a serious rodent infestation at 10 Downing. Now, with the revolving door that is politics, which of the many faces this furry feline has greeted, is actually Larry’s “parent”? Well, he’s owned officially by the staff of 10 Downing Street. So, while it may take a village to raise a child, it takes an entire house-hold, to meet a cat’s needs. Something cat owners would be quick to agree to.


On those slow news days – when the Royals are all behaving – the press corps can quickly jump on Larry's trail, just to see what shenanigans he’s up to. And yes, there have been “incidents”. Back in 2019, when then-President Donald Trump was paying a visit to 10 Downing, it wasn’t the protestors that blocked his motorcade but Larry, who parked himself underneath Trump’s limousine and refused to move. We won’t talk about all the other incidents.


One might think all this publicity is irksome to a cat that has rubbed shoulders (or up against pant legs) with top UK officials. But no so with Larry, whose official account on X (formerly known as Twitter), entitled @Number10Cat has over 860,000 followers.


Freelance photographer Justin Ng specializes in taking snaps of Larry and confirms, "Even kids who go to visit Downing St., the first thing they do is ask about Larry, not the prime minister."


And although Larry bears the honour of being the first government-employed cat to carry the title of Chief Mouser, methinks that by now, a Sir at the start of that moniker might be appropriate.


Mary Simpson
Mary Simpson

Sharing space with three seriously judgy Schnoodles and a feline who prefers to be left alone. #LivingMyBestLife

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