Sir Keir Starmer has announced a Siberian kitten will join Downing Street’s resident cat Larry after a “long summer of negotiations” around the choice of a family pet.
The prime minister said his son and daughter had lobbied for a German shepherd dog but, diplomacy being the name of the game in politics, a compromise was reached.
“There’s been a long summer of negotiations, back and forth, different options,” Sir Keir told BBC Radio 5 Live’s Matt Chorley.
He added: “But now we’ve gone for – and this is agreed after long negotiations – I said we’d get in the room and sort it out – we are now getting a kitten instead of a dog.
“This is a Siberian kitten, which is being picked up today by my daughter, and so that’s where it ended up.”
Sir Keir Starmer has said he tries to spend Friday evenings with his family (Stefan Rousseau/PA)
PA Wire
“Our daughter persuaded us that the problem isn’t any bigger for two cats than one. And therefore, we’re now getting this kitten.”
Both cats have replaced a tradition of prime ministers having dogs, with Rishi Sunak’s Labrador Nova being a resident, as was Boris Johnson’s pet Dilyn.
Sarah Elliott, central veterinary officer for Cats Protection, told Sky News: “As the junior member of the growing cat coalition at Downing Street, the prime minister and his family will need to take plenty of time to slowly introduce the new addition to JoJo and Larry.
“Young kittens can be exhausting for older statesmen like Larry, so he’ll also need a safe, quiet area to retreat to when the energy of a younger member of the team gets a bit too much.”
Sir Keir has not yet revealed a name for the new kitten.
Some of the animals of Parliament
Chief mouser Larry is now 17 years old
AFP via Getty Images
The original Downing Street’s chief mouser was bought from Battersea Dogs and Cats Home by David Cameron and has outstayed five prime ministers now.
JoJo is a rescued cat that has lived with the Starmers and was introduced to Larry after the change of leadership.
A long-time rival and adversary to Larry, the foreign office’s cat is another Battersea graduate – hired for his mousing abilities.
Nova was born into power, joining the Sunak family in Downing Street in 2021 as a puppy and then moving over to No 10 when his master took the top job.
Another golden Labrador, Jennie is the guide dog of blind Lib Dem MP Steve Darling and is a regular fixture on the Commons benches. He even has his own Twitter account.
