Prime Minister Keir Starmer unveils newest furry resident of Downing Street
22 September 2024, 11:31
Sir Keir Starmer has revealed a new feline resident of Downing Street - Prince the Siberian kitten.
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A photograph of the Prime Minister next to Prince was released on Saturday, showing the small kitten on the desk with his paws on Sir Keir's paperwork.
The newest furry addition to the Starmer family arrived following "a long summer of negotiations" with the Prime Minister's children, who wanted to get a German Shepherd if they moved to No 10 Downing Street.
The Prime Minister told the BBC in July: “We are now getting a kitten instead of a dog.
"And this is an agreement after long negotiations – I said we’d get in the room and sort it out.”
The kitten joins long-standing feline Larry, who has been Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office since 2011.
Another resident is the other Starmer cat Jojo, who is a rescue cat that the family had before the election.
The Prime Minister has shared some of the practical difficulties of keeping pets in No 10, and said that installing a cat flap in the bomb-proof door of the flat was "a little bit difficult".
In July he added: "Our daughter has persuaded us that the problem isn’t any bigger for two cats than one – and therefore, we’re now getting this kitten."
There have been plenty of pets residing in Downing Street over the years with various administrations.
Rishi Sunak had a Fox Red Laborador Nova, while Dilyn the dog accompanied Boris and Carrrie Johnson for their stay.
Liz Truss said Dilyn, an adopted Jack Russell caused an infestation of fleas in the No 11 flat, and she spent "several weeks itching" when she moved in after them in 2022.
