Larry the cat waits on his seventh PM as Starmer steps down

Larry the cat has now lived through the tenures of six British prime ministers and is waiting on his seventh.

The grey and white tabby has been at 10 Downing Street since February 15, 2011, when he was adopted by then Prime Minister (PM) David Cameron. He holds the official title of Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office and has stayed on through every change in government since.

His duties include greeting visitors and appearing at the black door of No. 10 during photo sessions with world leaders.

The latest addition to the list is Keir Starmer, who announced his resignation on June 22 in a brief speech outside Downing Street, a day after Labour lost the Markerfield by-election to Reform.

Starmer said he would ask the party to fix a timetable to elect a new leader from July 9. Parliament returns from summer recess on September 1.

David Cameron, Theresa May, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, Rishi Sunak and now Starmer have all served as prime minister during Larry’s time at No. 10.