Keir Starmer has revealed he has had a special door made in Downing Street for his family cats to come and go.
The Prime Minister said he was forced to come up with a plan to allow Prince, the new kitten who moved in last year, and long term pet Jo-Jo, to get in and out of the No11 flat where they live.
He has explained previously that because the third floor apartment has a bomb-proof door that cannot take a cat flap they were struggling to enjoy the freedom of movement many cats crave.
Appearing on the Chris Evans Breakfast Show on Virgin Radio this morning he shared how they had got around the issue to let the feline explorers run free.
‘We say that about a lot of things in life, but this [door] really is bomb proof,’ he said.
‘There’s a little window that is big enough for a cat to get out of, but it’s on the first floor. And then we had to build a sort of wooden ramp down into the garden.
‘So there’s this specially made ramp that the cats go up and down to get in and out of the garden, so that was one of the first things we had do.’
The Prime Minister revealed last September he had got Prince, a Siberian kitten withwhite fur and blue eyes, after a ‘summer of negotiations’ with his children.
They were promised a German Shepherd dog when they moved into Number 10, but he backtracked over space fears in the small flat they live in.
The Prime Minister said he was forced to come up with a plan to allow Prince, the new kitten who moved in last year, and long term pet Jo-Jo, to get in and out of the No11 flat where they live.
Appearing on the Chris Evans Breakfast Show on Virgin Radio this morning he shared how they had got around the issue to let the feline explorers run free.
‘There’s a little window that is big enough for a cat to get out of, but it’s on the first floor. And then we had to build a sort of wooden ramp down into the garden,l’ he said.
Taking part in a ‘children’s PMQs’ segment where he answered questions from kids, he said: ‘We had Jojo, our cat, we’ve had JoJo for a number of years, he was a rescue cat, so he came to Downing Street with us.
‘My daughter, who didn’t want to move into Downing street, she’s 14, she wanted to live in our old house in Kentish Town.
And this time last year … she was saying to me that if we win the election, she is not moving.
‘So we obviously had to work on her and persuade her and one way we did that was we got a Siberian kitten, a white Siberian kitten with blue eyes called Prince.’
However, the Starmer cats’ freedom may raise the prospect of them crossing paths with Larry, Downing St’s resident mouser, who is territorial and has fought with other cats.
Originating from Russia, Siberian cats have long and fluffy coats to protect from the cold. They are hypoallergenic, so compatible with those with allergies.
They are known for being dog-like, which may have helped lessen the blow of not getting a dog for Sir Keir’s children.
The Downing Street pet has become a tradition for new residents.
Former prime minister Rishi Sunak bought Nova, a Fox Red Labrador, while his chancellor Jeremy Hunt moved in a labrador named Poppy.
Boris Johnson’s adopted Jack Russell Dilyn took up residence during his time in power.
During the war years, Sir Winston Churchill kept two cats, Nelson and Munich Mouser, and a poodle named Rufus at Downing Street.
