Larry, the house cat residing in the British Prime Minister’s house, will welcome his 7th leader to Downing Street after the resignation of Keir Starmer. But who exactly is Larry?
Larry is a 19-year-old domestic male cat. He has been the chief mousetrap of Downing Street since the beginning of 2011. This rather unusual cat has the status of a British civil servant. He even has his own Wikipedia page. With the departure of the current Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, the owner of the place will have a seventh governor.
When the cat is not there, the mice dance
Larry was taken in by an association, then adopted in 2011 by David Cameron. The Battersea Dogs & Cats Home association is equivalent to the SPA in France. David Cameron, Conservative Prime Minister, remained in power from May 11, 2010 to July 13, 2016. When Larry arrives at Downing Street, his main mission is to chase the mice around the house. He also becomes Cameron’s children’s pet.
The other six prime ministers
From July 13, 2016 to July 24, 2019, Larry lived with Theresa May.
On July 24, 2019, Boris Johnson moved to Downing Street. Larry cohabits with him until September 6, 2022.
Larry then meets Liz Truss for a short period, between September 6, 2022 and October 25, 2022.
The fifth Prime Minister accompanied by the cat is Rishi Sunak. He remains in office from October 25, 2022 to July 5, 2024.
The sixth Prime Minister is Keir Starmer. He succeeds Rishi Sunak and takes office on July 5, 2024. He resigned on Monday June 22. Keir Starmer has been the only Labor Party prime minister since 2010, the year David Cameron took office.
The other cats before Larry
Before Larry, ten other cats hold the position of Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office.
The first cat is Rufus of England, nicknamed “Treasury Bill”. He was present between 1924 and 1930, under the mandate of Ramsay MacDonald.
From 1929 to 1946, Peter then held the position. Then Munich Mouser from 1937 to 1943, and Nelson in the 1940s. These cats live under the governments of Stanley Baldwin, Ramsay MacDonald, Neville Chamberlain, Winston Churchill and Clement Attlee.
Peter II (1946-1948) and Peter III (1948-1964) succeeded them. They span the tenures of Clement Attlee, Winston Churchill, Anthony Eden, Harold Macmillan and Alec Douglas-Home.
Between the mid-1960s and the late 1990s, Peta, Wilberforce and Humphrey occupied Downing Street. They served under Alec Douglas-Home, Harold Wilson, Edward Heath, James Callaghan, Margaret Thatcher, John Major and Tony Blair.
The last cat before Larry is Sybil. She occupied Downing Street between 2007 and 2009 under Gordon Brown.
Larry also had a roommate between 2012 and 2014, under David Cameron. However, Freya does not hold the title of Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office. Indeed, only one cat holds this title at a time, as with a Prime Minister.
The Prime Minister with the most cats is Winston Churchill, with a total of four: Peter, Munich Mouser, Nelson and Peter III.
If Keir Starmer’s successor has not yet been appointed, one thing is certain: Larry remains in Downing Street.
