Meet the pets of parliament as Keir Starmer takes in new Siberian kitten
Between dealing with the riots, the international wars, and the troubled UK economy, Sir Keir Starmer spent the summer negotiating with his own family on a very different issue.
What new pet were they going to get now they’ve moved into 10 Downing Street?
According to the PM, his daughter was initially keen to get a German Shepherd, but over the past couple of months he has talked her down to a Siberian kitten.
After being picked up yesterday – which happened to be Sir Keir’s 62nd birthday – the new cat has joined the Starmers’ current pet JoJo and the legendary Chief Mouser Larry at the famous address.
But it will also join a larger group of beloved animals helping to settle nerves and offer support around Westminster.
Here are a few of the most notable.
Keir Starmer – Larry, Jojo and the new kitten
Larry, one of the most popular figures in Whitehall, counts Sir Keir as his sixth prime minister – though his first Labour one.
He was hired as Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office under David Cameron in February 2011, when he was four years old.
It was recently revealed that Downing Street staff have drawn up plans for when the 17-year-old cat dies.
In July, Larry met Starmer family cat Jojo for the first time after Labour’s General Election victory.
It’s unclear whether the pair of them get on, but Sir Keir has previously said Jojo is ‘treated with far more respect in our household than I am’.
He told BBC Five Live’s Matt Chorley that his main concern about the latest arrival is the difficulty of installing a cat flap in the bomb-proof door of the new family home.
Rishi Sunak – Nova
The Leader of the Opposition melted hearts with an Instagram post introducing his new pup Nova while he was still Chancellor in June 2021.
Just 16 months later, the Fox Red Labrador Retriever joined the rest of the Sunak family at 10 Downing Street after Rishi became prime minister.
There was a mild fuss in spring last year when the family was spotted walking Nova without a lead in Hyde Park, right beside a sign warning against just that.
According to recent research, Tails.com found that 88% of British dog owners say their dog has a way of telling them when it’s dinner time.
Sir Lindsay Hoyle – A full parliamentary menagerie
Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle is more than pulling his weight when it comes to the pets of Westminster.
The 62-year-old has a dog, two cats, a tortoise and a parrot – all with rather familiar names.
His Patterdale terrier is called Betty after the late former Speaker Betty Boothroyd, and the parrot is called Boris after ex-PM Boris Johnson. The bird has been trained to shout ‘order, order!’
Maggie is the tortoise, so named because ‘she’s got a hard shell and isn’t for turning’. Hoyle also previously had a cat and dog named after two Labour veterans: Dennis (Skinner) and Gordon (Brown). Another cat, called Patrick after Tory peer Patrick Cormack, died in 2022.
Both his current cats are named after the same figure: trailblazing Labour PM Clement Attlee. Clem, a black cat with Bengal markings, joined Maine Coon Attlee – officially the Speaker’s head mouser – shortly after this year’s election.
Guide dogs of Westminster
There are three parliamentarians who use guide dogs to help them find their way around Westminster and the outside world.
The latest arrival is Liberal Democrat Steve Darling, who was elected as the MP for Torbay at the July 4 General Election.
From her first appearance in the House of Commons, his guide dog Jennie – three quarters golden retriever and one quarter Labrador – won legions of fans.
An unofficial account set up for her on social media site X gained almost 19,000 followers but hasn’t been updated since July. Darling created an official account to mark the return after recess: @RtHonJen.
David Blunkett’s black Labradors were a familiar sight in the Commons during the New Labour years, when he served in various cabinet positions including Home Secretary.
Now Lord Blunkett, his current guide dog Barley stays by his side in the House of Lords.
Barley is joined in the House by Nancy, the guide dog for former Paralympic swimming champion Lord Holmes of Richmond.
Lord Blunkett told Metro.co.uk: ‘Barley has been in the House of Lords for over 6 years now, and is a familiar figure around the corridors and Committee rooms.
‘Sleeping through the most boring sessions, and being entirely on the ball when needed.
‘He, like Lord Holmes’ dog, Nancy, have had to accustom themselves to switching from one side of the chamber to the other, consequent on the change in government from the July 5.
‘He is not the only one who finds it strange, as I am taking time to accustom myself to being supportive of the government frontbench, rather than – forgive the pun – being the “attack dog” from the opposition benches.’
The animals of Downing Street through the years
Starmer’s cat JoJo and as-yet-unnamed Siberian kitten are the latest pets to have called Downing Street home.
But it’s not quite as common for prime ministers to bring pets to their official residence as it is for US presidents.
Before Rishi Sunak and Nova, Boris Johnson made headlines for taking in a rescue Jack Russell cross named Dilyn a couple of months after he became PM.
Cats have held official positions at Number 10 for decades, but for a simple pet you need to go all the way back to Harold Wilson’s Nemo who accompanied the Labour leader during his two stints in Downing Street.
Winston Churchill got a brown poodle named Rufus during World War II, and is said to have been distraught when he was run over and killed in 1947.
He was replaced by another similar-looking poodle, called Rufus II, who was buried alongside the original Rufus in Chartwell when he died in 1962.
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