The previous Prime Minister Sunak is out, the new man in the British government is called Starmer. A lot of other things are changing too. But the secret ruler remains.
Everything is different after the British general election. Everything? No. In fact, despite the overwhelming election victory of the Labour Party, there is one personnel issue that even the new Prime Minister Keir Starmer is not changing. Larry the cat remains “Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office”. The position is listed on the official website of the British government.
The animal has been living in Downing Street for 13.5 years and has long been considered the secret ruler. Starmer is already the sixth prime minister to live with Larry. This means that the cat has lived in Downing Street longer than any prime minister since the end of the 19th century; only four heads of government have stayed in office for longer.
David Cameron brought the cat to the government headquarters in 2011 to solve the rat problem. But the animal primarily whizzes away the time for waiting journalists, for example by chasing pigeons. As a public figure, Larry naturally also has an – unofficial – account on the X platform. With around 840,000 followers, “@Number10Cat” easily leaves many a government member behind.
While previous prime ministers each brought a dog with them – Rishi Sunak had Nova, Boris Johnson’s four-legged friend is called Dilyn – there could be furry competition under Starmer. The 61-year-old’s family already has a cat named Jojo. The kingdom is waiting with bated breath to see whether the two cats get along.
Downing Street to Larry
Source: Stern
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
