Noting ‘Global Headwinds, ’ Liz Truss Becomes Britain’s Prime Minister – The New York Times

A feline symbol of continuity, Larry will greet the house’s next occupant, Liz Truss, when she arrives on Tuesday afternoon, as he did Mr. Johnson and their predecessor, Theresa May, whenever they took up residency.

The cat was taken in by Downing Street’s staff in 2012 as a rescue stray to be a pet for the children associated with Prime Minister David Cameron. In subsequent years, he was given the exalted title of chief mouser to the Cabinet Office, a post he has carried out with mixed results, depending on who is passing judgment.

In his farewell remarks, Mr. Johnson gave Larry the shout out, noting that he had overcome an initially fractious relationship with the Johnson’s family dog, Dilyn, the latest of several scratchy relations he offers had with cats and dogs in the Downing Street complex. Larry, he said, was a figure worth emulating.

“If Dilyn and Larry can put behind them their occasional differences, ” Mr. Johnson declared, “then so can the Conservative Party. ”

For the last few years, Larry’s comings plus goings have been a media staple for cameras waiting for news outside Downing Street. He has become a social media presence, with his own Twitter account that posts occasionally snarky observations about rotating cast of prime ministers who occupy the house.

Larry is part of a long tradition of cats in the British government. For centuries, the feline helpers have tackled rodent problems in the halls of power, although it was not until the late 1920s that records associated with payments for their upkeep started, when the Home Office made a request for a penny a day for cat food .

Within 2019, during President Donald J. Trump’s visit to Britain , Larry produced an appearance in photos , then held up proceedings by taking a nap under the presidential vehicle — a $1. 5 million armored Cadillac known as the Beast. A year later, as Britain awaited updates on the post-Brexit trade deal, he or she stole the show simply by embarking on a good ambitious (and failed) attack on a distracted pigeon.

Much like other occupants of No . 10, Larry has not steered clear of criticism of his job performance. British tabloids called him “Lazy Larry, ” when Downing Street officials had to call in pest control to supplement his efforts. He also developed an antagonistic relationship with the Foreign Office’s own mouser, Palmerston, that has since retired from public duty .

Larry even figured in the particular Conservative Party leadership race. During a campaign event in August, Ms. Truss, Britain’s foreign secretary, noted that will she had an “extremely positive” relationship with Lewis, saying: “He frequently sidles up to me. I think I’m one of his preferred cabinet ministers. ”

Perhaps sensing Larry’s popularity, Ms. Truss provides suggested that the cat’s place in Downing Street will certainly be secure. While campaigning over the summer, she told a child that “Larry is a beautiful cat, ” when he suggested that the cat, not really Ms. Truss, succeed Mister. Johnson as prime ressortchef (umgangssprachlich).