10 Downing Street cat makes PM bid

Larry the feline revealed on Twitter that he had King Charles’ blessing to assume the post being vacated by Liz Truss

Larry the Cat, the official chief mouser of 10 Downing Street, has jokingly laid claim to the premiership via Twitter, announcing on Thursday that he had been anointed by King Charles himself.

“The King has asked me to become Prime Minister because this nonsense has gone on long enough,” the cat tweeted, accompanied by a photo of himself seated before a miniature podium.

“The King has asked me to become Prime Minister because this nonsense has gone on long enough.” pic.twitter.com/eFL3fgSfVL

— Larry the Cat (@Number10cat) October 20, 2022

Larry, who has held his post since 2011 and outlasted four prime ministers, has become increasingly vocal in sharing his political opinions. When a fan commented earlier this month that the pint-sized civil servant had more Twitter followers than Truss, he responded “I’d get more votes too.”

The 15-year-old tabby was no fan of Truss’ predecessor Boris Johnson, either, taking pains to remind his public that he was “not ‘Boris Johnson’s cat’” after the disgraced PM mentioned him in his resignation speech. While there was chatter at the time about appointing Larry as a “caretaker PM,” the cat – or the human operating his Twitter account – seems to have warmed to the idea this time around.

READ MORE: UK premier steps down after 6 weeks in power

Truss resigned as PM on Thursday, setting a record for shortest-ever tenure in the role and stating she would remain as caretaker until the Conservatives can vote on a replacement. Among the frontrunners are former chancellor Rishi Sunak, who lost out to Truss in the last leadership contest to replace Johnson; former defense secretary Penny Mordaunt; and Johnson himself, who emerged as the favorite from a recent YouGov poll. And Larry.