September 4th 2024.
Sir Keir Starmer, the Leader of the Opposition, has had a busy summer dealing with various issues such as riots, wars, and the struggling economy of the UK. However, amidst all of this, he had another important matter to attend to - deciding on a new pet for his family now that they have moved into 10 Downing Street.
According to the PM, his daughter initially wanted a German Shepherd, but after several discussions over the past few months, she has settled on a Siberian kitten. The new addition, who coincidentally arrived on Sir Keir's 62nd birthday, has joined the family's current pet, JoJo, and the renowned Chief Mouser Larry at their famous address. But they are not the only beloved animals that can be found providing comfort and support around Westminster.
Let's take a look at some of the most notable pets in the area. Sir Keir Starmer has Larry, JoJo, and the new kitten, who are all part of the family now. Larry, the 17-year-old cat, has served under six prime ministers since being appointed in 2011. He is adored by those in Whitehall and is now working with his first Labour prime minister. Larry was brought in as the Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office at the age of four, during the reign of David Cameron.
There have been recent reports that the Downing Street staff have already made plans for Larry's passing. In July, Larry met JoJo, the Starmer family cat, for the first time after the General Election victory for the Labour party. It is unclear if the two get along, but Sir Keir has joked that JoJo receives more respect in their household than he does. He also mentioned the difficulty of installing a cat flap in the bomb-proof door of their new home.
Interestingly, after Sir Keir's announcement, there has been a surge in searches for Siberian kittens on the UK's largest pet rehoming platform. In fact, searches have increased by 125%, suggesting that many other homes may also be welcoming a new furry friend soon.
Another prominent politician in Westminster is Rishi Sunak, who has recently become the Prime Minister. He has a new addition to his family as well - Nova, a Fox Red Labrador Retriever. Rishi introduced Nova to the world via an Instagram post while he was still the Chancellor in June 2021. After just 16 months, Nova joined the rest of the Sunak family at 10 Downing Street.
Moving on to the Speaker of the House, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, who has quite a menagerie at home. He has a dog, two cats, a tortoise, and a parrot, all with interesting names. His Patterdale terrier, Betty, is named after the late former Speaker Betty Boothroyd. The parrot is called Boris, after the ex-PM Boris Johnson, and has been trained to shout "order, order!".
Maggie the tortoise is named after Margaret Thatcher because, as Sir Lindsay puts it, "she's got a hard shell and isn't for turning". The Speaker also previously had a cat and a dog named after two Labour veterans, Dennis and Gordon. Sadly, their cat Patrick, named after Tory peer Patrick Cormack, passed away in 2022. However, Sir Lindsay's current cats, Clem and Attlee, are both named after the trailblazing Labour PM Clement Attlee. Attlee is also the official head mouser for the Speaker.
Interestingly, there are three parliamentarians in Westminster who use guide dogs to navigate their way around. One of them is Steve Darling, the newly elected MP for Torbay. His guide dog, Jennie, has won the hearts of many since her first appearance in the House of Commons. She is a three-quarters golden retriever and one-quarter Labrador, and even has her own unofficial social media account with almost 19,000 followers. Another guide dog in the House of Lords is Barley, who belongs to former Home Secretary David Blunkett. Nancy, the guide dog for former Paralympic swimming champion Lord Holmes of Richmond, is also a regular in the House of Lords.
Lastly, let's take a trip down the memory lane and look at some of the notable pets in Downing Street throughout the years. Boris Johnson, the previous Prime Minister, made headlines when he adopted a rescue Jack Russell cross named Dilyn a few months after becoming PM. Cats have been a common sight at Number 10 for decades, with Harold Wilson's Nemo accompanying him during his two terms. Winston Churchill had a poodle named Rufus during World War II, and was devastated when he passed away. Rufus II was then brought in to keep him company until his death in 1962.
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