All hail the Chief Mouser (Pictures: Getty Images / iStockPhoto / Reuters)
With Downing Street in turmoil following Liz Truss’ resignation as Prime Minister, even its chief mouser is attempting to put himself forward for the job on social media.
Speaking in a Twitter post, the political world’s favourite kitty said: ‘The King has asked me to become Prime Minister because this nonsense has gone on long enough.’
Whoever becomes Prime Minister in the wake of Ms Truss’ exit will become the fifth during the resident feline’s life.
But what is the Downing Street cat’s name, and who does he actually belong to?
What is the name of the Downing Street cat?
The title of Chief Mouser is currently held by a cat named Larry.
Larry has held his title since 2011 (Picture: Mark Large – WPA Pool / Getty Images)
The brown and white tabby has held the title since 2011, after being adopted from the Battersea Dogs & Cats Home by Number 10 staff.
The Downing Street website describes Larry’s duties as ‘greeting guests to the house, inspecting security defences, and testing antique furniture for napping quality.’
He has been Cheif Mouser for three Prime Ministers: David Cameron, Theresa May, and Boris Johnson.
Larry’s job performance has come under some scrutiny in the past. Within a month of his arrival at Downing Street, anonymous sources told The Daily Telegraph that Larry displayed ‘a distinct lack of killer instinct.’
That being said, he was seen nearly taking out a pigeon in 2020.
Larry’s relationship with other animals at Downing street has also been a point of concern in the past.
He has reportedly gotten in a couple of scuffles with the Foreign Office’s cat Palmerston, with Larry even having to pay a visit to the Vet after a particularly violent scrap back in 2016.
His relationships with visiting politicians have also been a bit of a mixed bag, with Larry causing a stir during one of President Donald Trump’s visits to Downing Street.
Larry decided to have a lie down under Trump’s £1.2million armoured Cadillac, meaning that the former US President couldn’t leave after a meeting with Theresa May.
Larry caused some diplomatic tensions when he got under Trump’s car during one visit (Picture: Daniel Leal/AFP via Getty Images)
David Cameron did say, however, that Larry seemed quite taken with Trump’s predecessor.
‘Funnily enough, he liked Barack Obama’ the former PM told the BBC back in 2011. ‘Obama gave him a stroke and he was all right with Obama.’
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Who owns Larry the cat?
Technically, the Downing Street staff own Larry and no one individual is responsible for No10’s head mouse catcher.
David Cameron explained during his final Prime Minister’s Questions in 2016 that Larry is a civil servant and not personal property, therefore he does not leave Downing Street after a change of premiership.
You can keep up with Larry’s antics on his Twitter account, which boasts 650k followers and counting.
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Meet Downing Street’s Chief Mouse-Catcher.
