In 16 years, the United Kingdom has seen six prime ministers but Larry the Cat has remained the Chief Mouser. In fact, he is the third-longest-serving occupant of 10 Downing Street — outlasting iconic figures such as Margaret Thatcher and Sir Winston Churchill.
In the past 16 years, the political instability has been such that that five British prime ministers have come and gone and the sixth —Sir Keir Starmer— could soon be on his way out. But Larry the Cat has remained in the office for all these years and endeared himself to the realm as the symbol of the British spirit.
Larry arrived at 10 Downing Street in 2011 as the Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office and has served the realm for more than 15 years — not just protecting the Prime Minister’s Office from rats and mice but also endearing himself to staffers, visiting world leaders, and journalists who have documented his life for years.
In the meantime, only one out of five prime ministers —David Cameron— has completed their term.
While prime ministers failed to stabilise the politics, Larry steered Number 10 through the Brexit referendum, the chaotic withdrawal from the European Union (EU), the Covid-19 pandemic, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine and shadow war with Europe.
So far, six British prime ministers have served in the Larry era.
They include Cameron, the only one to complete the term, and Liz Truss, the shortest-serving prime minister who resigned after 49 days.
British Prime Ministers who have served under Larry the Cat
| Prime Minister | Party | Tenure Start | Tenure End | Length of tenure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Cameron | Conservative | 11 May 2010 | 13 July 2016 | 6 years, 63 days |
| Theresa May | Conservative | 13 July 2016 | 24 July 2019 | 3 years, 11 days |
| Boris Johnson | Conservative | 24 July 2019 | 6 September 2022 | 3 years, 44 days |
| Liz Truss | Conservative | 6 September 2022 | 25 October 2022 | 49 days |
| Rishi Sunak | Conservative | 25 October 2022 | 5 July 2024 | 1 year, 254 days |
| Keir Starmer | Labour | 5 July 2024 | Incumbent | Ongoing |
At Number 10, Larry has been at the centre of some of the most memorable visuals, such as playing with former US President Barack Obama, delaying US President Donald Trump’s motorcade by napping under his limousine, and frequently getting clicked with world leaders ranging from French President Emmanuel Macron to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Justin Ng, a photographer who is often part of the Number 10’s press pool, told Guardian that Larry’s “steadfastness and his unparalleled ability to appear at the right moment and pose for all of us makes him so endearing to everyone”.
A Downing Street source previously told Guardian: “The minute something happens on the street, especially an official visit, like clockwork, he’ll be out the front. He loves the red carpet.”
Despite such an outsized role in British polity, Larry’s official description on the PMO’s website is quite modest.
“Larry spends his days greeting guests to the house, inspecting security defences and testing antique furniture for napping quality. His day-to-day responsibilities also include contemplating a solution to the mouse occupancy of the house. Larry says this is still ‘in tactical planning stage’,” the website modestly states.
Larry 3rd-longest-serving Downing Street occupant
In the British history, Larry is the third-longest-serving occupant of 10 Downing Street — outlasting iconic figures such as Margaret Thatcher and Sir Winston Churchill. In modern times, no one comes close.
Only Sir Robert Walpole, who served as the prime minister for 20 years between 1721 and 1742, and William Pitt the Younger, who served for 18 years in two terms (1783-1801, 1804-06), have served longer than Larry at the seat of the British government.
| Rank | Occupant | Role | Tenure(s) at Downing Street | Total time served |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sir Robert Walpole | Prime Minister | 3 Apr 1721 – 11 Feb 1742 | 20 years, 315 days |
| 2 | William Pitt the Younger | Prime Minister | 19 Dec 1783 – 14 Mar 1801; 10 May 1804 – 23 Jan 1806 | 18 years, 343 days |
| 3 | Larry the Cat | Chief Mouser | 15 Feb 2011 – Incumbent | 15 years+ |
| 4 | Robert Jenkinson, Earl of Liverpool | Prime Minister | 8 Jun 1812 – 9 Apr 1827 | 14 years, 305 days |
| 5 | Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, Marquess of Salisbury | Prime Minister | 23 Jun 1885 – 28 Jan 1886; 25 Jul 1886 – 11 Aug 1892; 25 Jun 1895 – 11 Jul 1902 | 13 years, 252 days |
| 6 | William Ewart Gladstone | Prime Minister | 3 Dec 1868 – 20 Feb 1874; 23 Apr 1880 – 23 Jun 1885; 1 Feb 1886 – 25 Jul 1886; 15 Aug 1892 – 5 Mar 1894 | 12 years, 126 days |
| 7 | Frederick North, Lord North | Prime Minister | 28 Jan 1770 – 27 Mar 1782 | 12 years, 58 days |
| 8 | Margaret Thatcher | Prime Minister | 4 May 1979 – 28 Nov 1990 | 11 years, 208 days |
| 9 | Tony Blair | Prime Minister | 2 May 1997 – 27 Jun 2007 | 10 years, 56 days |
| 10 | Winston Churchill | Prime Minister | 10 May 1940 – 26 Jul 1945; 26 Oct 1951 – 5 Apr 1955 | 9 years, 273 days |
Larry also apparently has his own standards. Reportedly, he refused to pose with Starmer’s Cabinet early in the term and did not allow Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy and disgraced former minister Matt Hancock to stroke him.
But it’s not always rosy. Larry has had frequent confrontations with another cat, Palmerston, who lived at the Foreign Office, that were seen publicly.
But, when a police officer at the Downing Street was asked if they ever intervened, they said they never stepped in.
“Oh no, no. You don’t get involved in a cat fight,” the officer told Guardian.
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