Meet Larry: The cat which is outlasting British Prime ministers at 10 Downing Street

Larry the Cat moved into 10 Downing Street in February 2011.

The cat was a stray from Battersea Dogs and Cats Home and was taken into the British Prime Minister’s residence by the family of the former Premier, David Cameron’s family essentially to deal with a rat problem.

It seems members of the press had spotted the rodent scurrying past the famous black door and raised the concern.

Nobody expected Larry, the cat who moved in to tackle the mouse, to become an institution.

Prime Minister David Cameron left in 2016, but he left Larry behind.

Theresa May came and went by 2019.

Larry stayed.

Boris Johnson lasted until 2022.

Liz Truss managed to survive for 49 days.

Rishi Sunak saw out the Conservative era and handed the keys to Keir Starmer in July 2024.

But Larry watched them all pack their boxes.

Now Starmer has announced he’ll resign once a successor is chosen, and Larry, somewhere between a nap on the stairs and a patrol of the front step, has outlasted this sixth UK Prime minister.

With Keir Starmer’s resignation, Larry has now served under six UK Prime Ministers since moving into 10 Downing Street in 2011, that is 15 years ago and is will definitely serve under the seventh Premier.

In fact, since the British Premier have of late been bowing down at an extremely fast pace, Larry is likely to see the eight. Ninth and even tenth Prime Minister at 10 Downing Street.

Larry’s official title is Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office, a position that dates back to at least the 1920s, though cats have been kept at Downing Street far longer than that.

Treasury records from the 1500s mention payments for a cat to catch mice in government buildings.

Larry’s predecessor, Humphrey, served under Margaret Thatcher, John Major, and Tony Blair before retiring in 1997.

Larry is now 18 years old.

The cat has feuded with Palmerston, the Foreign Office cat.

He has stared down Donald Trump’s motorcade.

He has been photographed asleep on the doorstep during the resignation speeches of three different prime ministers.

Apparently, Larry does not work for any of them. He works for the building.

When the next prime minister walks up that street to the cameras and the cheering staff and the heavy black door, Larry will probably be on the step. Or under a car. Or watching from a window.

Larry was there first. He will be there afterwards​ … Possibly!