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Liz Truss Resigns but Larry the Cat Abides

The Downing Street guard cat has now outlasted four British prime ministers: David Cameron, Theresa May, Boris Johnson, and now Liz Truss.

Published Oct. 20, 2022

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - SEPTEMBER 18: Larry the cat stands on a red carpet outside 10 Downing Street ahead of arrival of Polish President Andrzej Duda for a meeting with British Prime Minister Liz Truss in London, United Kingdom on September 18, 2022. (Photo by Wiktor Szymanowicz/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) (Getty Images)
Image Via Getty Images

Britain has gone through four prime ministers in recent years, but one thing has remained steady through the political upheaval — Downing Street's guard cat.

Liz Truss resigned as prime minister on Oct. 20, 2022. Meanwhile, Larry, the gray-and-white tabby known as the "mouser of Downing Street," went viral just 10 days prior for protecting his turf against a wayward fox.

Larry (of course) has a Twitter account, and was pawing snarky tweets all through the political turmoil.

At 15 years old, Larry is a senior citizen in kitty years. But he has proved he still has pep in his step — and more longevity than Britain's top politicians.

As we reported in July 2022, when former Prime Minister Boris Johnson stepped down to make way for Truss, Larry, who was adopted by the British cabinet in 2011 and appointed "chief mouser," has outlived the political tenures of David Cameron, Theresa May Johnson, and Truss. Long live Larry.

Sources

Ibrahim, Nur. “Did Larry the Cat Outlast 3 British Prime Ministers?” Snopes.com, 11 July 2022, https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/larry-the-cat-british-prime-ministers/.

Adam, Karla. “Larry the Cat Chases Much Larger Fox from Downing Street.” Washington Post, 14 Oct. 2022, www.washingtonpost.com, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/10/14/larry-cat-downing-street-fox/.

Craig, Jon. “Liz Truss Could Learn from Larry the Cat’s Purrfect Approach.” Sky News, 11 Oct. 2022, https://news.sky.com/story/liz-truss-could-learn-from-larry-the-cats-purrfect-approach-12717732.


Islam, Faisal. “Liz Truss Resigns as PM, with New Leader by next Friday.” BBC News, 20 Oct. 2022, https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-politics-63309400.

Bethania Palma is a journalist from the Los Angeles area who started her career as a daily newspaper reporter and has covered everything from crime to government to national politics. She has written for ... read more