Children wanted a sheepdog Prime Minister Starmer brings a kitten to Downing Street
Boris Johnson often appeared with his dog Dilyn. (archive picture)
Image: dpa
Larry has lived in Downing Street much longer than most prime ministers. (archive picture)
Image: dpa
Rishi Sunak's dog is called Nova. (archive picture)
Image: dpa
Boris Johnson often appeared with his dog Dilyn. (archive picture)
Image: dpa
Larry has lived in Downing Street much longer than most prime ministers. (archive picture)
Image: dpa
Rishi Sunak's dog is called Nova. (archive picture)
Image: dpa
Rishi Sunak had a dog, Boris Johnson too. Successor Starmer is now opting for a cat. It's not the first in the seat of government.
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- British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will bring a "Siberian kitten" to Downing Street.
- His children had wanted a sheepdog.
- Starmer's predecessors often had dogs: Rishi Sunak's Labrador is called Nova, Boris Johnson brought along his four-legged friend Dilyn.
Even more competition for the popular cat Larry in Downing Street: the children of the new British Prime Minister Keir Starmer are getting a cat. He had "a long summer of negotiations" about a dog, Starmer told the BBC on his 62nd birthday. "We are now getting a kitten instead of a dog." Starmer's children had originally wanted a sheepdog, as the leader of the Social Democratic Labor Party had said during the election campaign.
"It's a Siberian kitten, my daughter is picking it up today," Starmer said. The family - the prime minister and wife Victoria have two teenagers - had already brought their own cat called Jojo with them when they moved into Downing Street. Larry doesn't mind the newcomer, Starmer said.
What to do with the cat flap?
The only difficulties were the high security precautions for the seat of government "Number Ten". "We have the problem, and it's the same for Jojo the cat, that the only door to our new apartment is bomb-proof. Installing a cat flap is proving somewhat difficult," reported the Prime Minister. "But our children have convinced us that the problem is no greater with two cats than with one. So now we're getting this kitten."
Starmer's predecessors often had dogs: Rishi Sunak's Labrador is called Nova, Boris Johnson brought four-legged friend Dilyn with him.
Larry the cat has lived in Downing Street for more than 13.5 years - longer than most British prime ministers - and is regarded as the secret ruler of the seat of government. As "Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office", he even holds an office that is listed on the official website of the British government.
Starmer is already the sixth prime minister to live with Larry. David Cameron brought the cat into the seat of government in 2011 - to solve the rat problem. First and foremost, however, the animal passes the time of waiting journalists, for example by chasing pigeons. In view of Larry's advanced age - he is around 17 years old - the government is reportedly already preparing how it will one day teach the population about the death of the popular cat.