Keir Starmer reveals fear for Larry the Cat as he shares new family member

Keir Starmer spoke about his family during an appearance on This Morning, and revealed that beloved Downing Street cat, Larry, was facing a new challenge

The UK’s favourite politician, Larry the Cat, is about to face his toughest diplomatic crisis yet.

Sir Keir Starmer opened up about his family life and Christmas plans today, and revealed that his new kitten, Prince, has not yet met Downing Street's famous mouse catcher Larry.

Asked for an update on the Starmer family Siberian kitten, Sir Keir told ITV's This Morning : "Prince is the name of the kitten. So, Prince and Larry haven't met yet. I am worried that Larry will come off the better - the kitten is tiny."

Sir Keir also revealed he went to an escape room for his daughter's birthday on Sunday, and told the programme: "Now today we can start talking about Christmas, because yesterday was my daughter's birthday."

Asked about his choice of Christmas film, the Prime Minister said he was likely to be at the back of the queue when it came to choosing, but added: "Love Actually would be quite interesting this year actually."

While Prince and Larry will meet in time for Christmas, Larry is more of a landlord than a Starmer family member. Starmer is the sixth Prime Minister Larry has lived with during his time as Chief Mouser, and the cat has a very comfortable set up in Downing Street, with staff contributing to a kitty for his food and treats.

The famous moggy was born a stray in 2007, and was rescued from Battersea Dogs & Cats Home in 2011 by Downing Street staff, initially to be the pet of David Cameron ’s children. Larry soon outgrew the pet life however, and rose to the role of Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office. During a 2016 Prime Minister's Questions, Cameron explained that Larry is a civil servant and not the personal property of any one individual.

The Downing Street website has an official page for Larry, stating: “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.’”

While the addition of Prince to Larry’s luxurious 10 Downing Street home might come with its troubles, Larry is no stranger to meeting powerful figures from around the world - and making his feelings about them known.

During a visit from Donald Trump back in 2019, Larry opted to take a break behind his £1.2 million armoured Cadillac, causing delays when the President-elect couldn’t move the vehicle. In 2011, Cameron revealed to the BBC that Larry took a kinder approach to a different leader, saying: "Funnily enough, he liked Barack Obama. Obama gave him a stroke and he was all right with Obama."

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