Larry the Cat's hilarious Tweets keep the UK's political pundits entertained

By David Crookes
last updated

Downing Street's Chief Mouser Larry the Cat reaches the end of his tether following another tumultuous week in British politics

Larry the cat
(Image credit: Getty)

Downing Street's Chief Mouser Larry the Cat has seen many comings and goings over the past 11 years.

But even he has been “feline” the pressure of late, as government ministers queued to hand in their resignations amidst the pressure built on Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

As more and more Conservative MPs urged Johnson to leave, Larry took to Twitter to issue an ultimatum from the unofficial parody account @Number10cat.

Alongside an image of the brown and white tabby behind a tiny podium purportedly outside England's most famous street, the Tweet read: “I can no longer, in good conscience, live with this Prime Minister. Either he goes, or I do.”

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As you can imagine, the Tweet went down a storm with more than 230,000 likes, close to 42,000 retweets and in excess of 2,000 comments.

But “Larry” wasn't about to stop there. The cat's account was used to prove a hilarious running commentary on the events leading up to Johnson's inevitable resignation.

Referring to MP Nadhim Zahawi's letter calling for the Prime Minister to go – just a day after being appointed Chancellor, Larry wrote: “I've had to live with Boris Johnson for nearly three years. This bloke has lived next door for a day and is already calling for him to quit.”

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As news broke that Johnson was, indeed, going to resign, Larry added: “If Boris Johnson hasn't resigned by 10am I will be forced to crap in his shoes.” That deadline passed and it's not known what Larry did next.

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Larry was rescued stray cat from Battersea Dogs & Cats Home and he has been at Number 10 since February 2011. 

He arrived, aged about four, tasked with catching mice around the 660-foot long street in the City of Westminster. 

Political watchers regularly see Larry outside the famous black door. When news broke about Johnson's troubles, some Twitter users were worried that Larry would also have to resign.

Thankfully, as Larry also pointed out in a Tweet, he does not belong to any Prime Minister. It wouldn't, however, surprise us if Larry ends up running the country by the end of the month!

David Crookes
David Crookes

David Crookes has been a journalist for more than 20 years and he has written for a host of magazines, newspapers, websites and books including World of Animals, BBC Earth, Dogs and Canines, Gadget and The Independent. Born in England, he lives in a household with two cats but he’s also keenly interested in the differences between the huge number of dog breeds — in fact, you can read many of his breed guides here on PetsRadar. With a lifelong passion for technology, too, he’s always on the lookout for useful devices that will allow people to spend more time with their pets.