July 5th 2024.
After a night of celebration and a meeting with the King, Keir Starmer finally stepped through the front door of 10 Downing Street as the newly appointed prime minister on Friday. It was a surreal moment for him, as he entered the alternate reality of a man who regularly meets with King Charles III and now has the ultimate control of Britain's nuclear missiles. All while trying to adjust to life in a 17th century landmark and find a balance between his work and personal life.
As he made his way into the iconic residence, Starmer was greeted by the staff and civil servants, who lined the entrance and clapped for the new leader and his senior team. It was a customary tradition, a way to introduce him to the people he would be living and working with. Many of them had served his predecessor just a few hours earlier, making the experience both heartwarming and strange for Starmer.
During his first day in office, Starmer was briefed by senior civil servants on the key issues facing the government. He also received congratulatory phone calls from world leaders and began the process of appointing his Cabinet. It was a busy day for the new prime minister, filled with traditions and responsibilities that he had to fulfill.
One of the most sobering moments of Starmer's first day as prime minister was realizing that he now had the ultimate authority over whether to launch Britain's nuclear missiles. This was emphasized by the country's top civil servant, who informed him that he would have to write "last resort letters" to the captains of Britain's four nuclear-armed submarines, outlining what to do in the event of a nuclear attack that wiped out the civilian leadership. It was a unique duty that only the prime minister of Britain had to fulfill, as there was no "nuclear football" like the one carried by the US president.
As he settled into his new role, Starmer also had to come to terms with the fact that No.10 Downing Street was not the White House. While it may be a shorthand for Britain's prime minister, the two residences were vastly different. Behind the famous black door of No.10 sat a warren of interlinked offices, meeting rooms, and two residences carved out of three townhouses built in the late 1600s. With over 400 people working in the space, it was no surprise that a workplace consultant had deemed it dysfunctional and recommended that the prime minister's top team move to a more modern office space.
One of the first decisions Starmer had to make as prime minister was whether to live in the two-bedroom apartment above No.10 or the more spacious four-bedroom apartment over No.11, traditionally occupied by the treasury chief. As a married man with two teenage children, it was likely that Starmer would choose the larger apartment, following the precedent set by his predecessors.
No.10 Downing Street was part of a row of townhouses built in the late 1600s by George Downing. Over the years, it had been expanded by linking it to the adjoining properties at No.11 and No.12. However, the building had its fair share of problems from the beginning, with inadequate foundations and shoddy construction. This was best summed up by former resident and prime minister Winston Churchill, who described it as "shaky and lightly built".
Before the day was over, Starmer had one more important meeting on his agenda - with Larry the cat. The famous feline had been a fixture at No.10 for over 13 years, outlasting five prime ministers. Larry was brought in to help control a rodent problem and quickly became known as the "chief mouser" of the residence. He had even gained a large following on social media, with hundreds of thousands of followers. It was a well-known fact that Larry was the favorite subject of freelance photographer Justin Ng, who hoped that the new prime minister would not underestimate the popularity of the famous feline.
Amidst all the traditions and responsibilities, one thing was for sure - Larry was here to stay. And for Starmer, who knows what the future holds as he navigates through this new reality as the leader of Britain.
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