Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office explained

Post:Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office
Flag:Flag of the United Kingdom.svgborder
Flagsize:110px
Flagcaption:Flag of the United Kingdom
Insignia:Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government) (2022).svg
Insigniacaption:Royal Arms of His Majesty's Government
Incumbent:Larry
Incumbentlabel:Incumbent
Incumbentsince:15 February 2011
Department:Government of the United Kingdom
Prime Minister's Office
Cabinet Office
Residence:10 Downing Street
Appointer:Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Termlength:No set length; ends on retirement or death
Formation:
Title first used around 1997[1]
Inaugural:Cardinal Wolsey's cat

Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office is the title of the official resident cat at 10 Downing Street, the residence and executive office of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in London. There has been a resident cat in the British government employed as a mouser and pet since the 16th century, although modern records date only to the 1920s. Despite other cats having served Downing Street, the first one to be given the official title of chief mouser by the British government was Larry in 2011. Other cats have been given this title affectionately, usually by the British press. In 2004 a study found that voters' perceptions of the chief mouser were not completely above partisanship.

History

There is evidence of a cat in residence in the English government dating back to the reign of Henry VIII,[2] when Cardinal Thomas Wolsey placed his cat by his side while acting in his judicial capacity as Lord Chancellor.[3] Official records, however, released into the public domain on 4 January 2005 as part of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 only date back to 3 June 1929,[4] [5] when A.E. Banham at the Treasury authorised the Office Keeper "to spend 1d a day from petty cash towards the maintenance of an efficient cat".[6] In April 1932, the allowance increased to 1s 6d (18 pence) per week (a little over 2.57 pence per day). By the 21st century, the mouser was costing £100 per annum.[7] The cats do not necessarily belong to the prime minister in residence, and it is rare for the chief mouser's term of office to coincide with that of a prime minister.[8] The cat with the longest known tenure at Downing Street is Peter III, who served for over 16 years under five different prime ministers: Clement Attlee, Winston Churchill, Anthony Eden, Harold Macmillan and Alec Douglas-Home.

The post has been held by Larry since 2011,[9] the first to be given the title officially.[1] [10] The departure of the previous incumbent, Sybil, was in January 2009. Sybil, who began her tenure on 11 September 2007, was the first mouser for ten years following the retirement of her predecessor Humphrey in 1997. Sybil was owned by the then chancellor of the Exchequer, Alistair Darling, who lived in 10 Downing Street while the then prime minister, Gordon Brown, lived in the larger 11 Downing Street.[11] [12] It was reported that Sybil did not stay in London, and was returned to Scotland to live with a friend of the Darlings. Sybil died on 27 July 2009.[13] [14]

In January 2011, rats were seen in Downing Street, "scurrying across the steps of Number 10 Downing Street for the second time during a TV news report," according to ITN.[15] There being no incumbent chief mouser at that time, the prime minister's spokesman said there were "no plans" for a cat to be brought in to tackle the problem;[16] however, the following day, newspapers reported that the spokesman had said there was a "pro-cat faction" within Downing Street, leading to speculation that a replacement might indeed be brought in to deal with the problem.[16] On 14 February 2011, it was reported that a cat called "Larry" had been brought in to address the problem.[17] The London Evening Standard reported that the cat had been selected by David Cameron and his family, from those at Battersea Dogs & Cats Home.[17]

Chief mousers in the past have overlapped, or been phased in, though the position can and has remained vacant for extended periods of time. Larry is the only chief mouser listed on the official website for Number 10.[10]

Partisanship study

In 2004 Robert Ford, a political scientist at the University of Manchester, reported on a YouGov survey on partisan reactions to the Downing Street cats. Participants in the survey were shown a picture of Humphrey, the chief mouser appointed by Margaret Thatcher, and told that he was either Thatcher's cat or Tony Blair's cat. Affinity for the cat divided along partisan lines: Conservative voters liked the cat far more when they were told he was Thatcher's and Labour voters liked the cat far more when they were told he was Blair's. Ford concludes that partisanship shapes reactions to everything a politician does, however trivial, similar to the halo effect (and a reverse "forked tail effect") observed by psychologists.[18]

List of chief mousers

NameBegan tenureEnded tenurePrime Minister(s)Refs
Rufus of England (popularly nicknamed "Treasury Bill")[19] [20] 1924 1930Ramsay MacDonald[21]
Peter19291946Stanley Baldwin, Ramsay MacDonald, Neville Chamberlain, Winston Churchill, Clement Attlee
Munich Mouser1937–401943Neville Chamberlain, Winston Churchill[22] [23]
Nelson1940sWinston Churchill[24]
Peter II19461947Clement Attlee
Peter III19471964Clement Attlee, Winston Churchill, Anthony Eden, Harold Macmillan, Alec Douglas-Home
Peta1964 1976Alec Douglas-Home, Harold Wilson, Edward Heath
Wilberforce19731987Edward Heath, Harold Wilson, Jim Callaghan, Margaret Thatcher[25] [26]
Humphrey19891997Margaret Thatcher, John Major, Tony Blair[27]
Sybil20072009Gordon Brown[28]
Larry2011currentDavid Cameron, Theresa May, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, Rishi Sunak, Keir Starmer[29]
Freya20122014David Cameron[30]

See also

Lists

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Purr-fect ending fur Humphrey! . . 25 November 1997 . 30 October 2011 . 1 September 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180901003732/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/34455.stm . live .
  2. News: Caroline . Davies. More questions over how No 10 handled the kitty. The Telegraph. 24 November 1997. https://web.archive.org/web/20071205223254/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/htmlContent.jhtml?html=%2Farchive%2F1997%2F11%2F24%2Fnmog124.html. 5 December 2007. 30 October 2011. dead.
  3. Book: Van Vechten, Carl . The Tiger in the House . Alfred A. Knopf . 1922 . The Cat and the Law . https://www.bartleby.com/234/6.html . . 12 December 2022 . 12 December 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221212021039/https://www.bartleby.com/234/ . live .
  4. News: Home Office cat history revealed . . 4 January 2005 . 30 October 2011 . 1 January 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180101203152/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4143423.stm . live .
  5. Web site: The official Home Office cat . 1929–1976 . . 30 October 2011 . 6 June 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110606225159/http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/displaycataloguedetails.asp?CATLN=6&CATID=1835842 . live .
  6. News: Tale of Home Office cat . . . 4 January 2005 . 25 July 2019 . 14 July 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220714205924/https://metro.co.uk/2005/01/04/tale-of-home-office-cat-259530/ . live .
  7. News: David . Millward . Humphrey... the Downing Street dossier . https://web.archive.org/web/20050317125330/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=%2Fnews%2F2005%2F03%2F14%2Fndoss14.xml . dead . 17 March 2005 . . 15 March 2005 . 30 October 2011 .
  8. News: Ben . Fenton . Cats that left a mark in the corridors of power . . 4 January 2005 . 23 May 2005 . https://web.archive.org/web/20050523101413/http://telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=%2Fnews%2F2005%2F01%2F04%2Fnfoi404.xml . 30 October 2011 . dead .
  9. Web site: The new PM's first job: Impress the cat . Kraemer . Daniel . Sleator . Laurence . . July 24, 2019 . July 24, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190724172302/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-49049852 . July 24, 2019 . live . dmy.
  10. Web site: Larry, Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office. 31 December 2012. 10 Downing Street. 4 April 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130404225032/http://www.number10.gov.uk/history-and-tour/larry-the-cat-chief-mouser-to-the-cabinet-office/. live.
  11. News: No. 10 has its first cat since Humphrey . . 12 September 2007 . 30 October 2011 . 13 October 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221013104109/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-cat-odd-idUSGOR14568220070912 . live .
  12. News: Assinder . Nick . No 10 gets new feline first lady . . 12 September 2007 . 30 October 2011 . 11 August 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170811010441/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6989055.stm . live .
  13. News: Torcuil . Crichton . Darling's cat Sybil dies after a short illness . . 29 July 2009 . 30 October 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090802101755/http://www.theherald.co.uk/politics/news/display.var.2522637.0.Darlings_cat_Sybil_dies_after_a_short_illness.php . 2 August 2009 .
  14. News: Andy . McSmith . Farewell to the original New Labour cat . . 29 July 2009 . 30 October 2011 . 30 January 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110130134847/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/farewell-to-the-original-new-labour-cat-1764021.html . live .
  15. News: Another rat spotted on steps of Number 10 . 24 January 2011 . . . 30 October 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120404121742/http://news.uk.msn.com/articles.aspx?cp-documentid=155956883 . 4 April 2012 . dead .
  16. News: "Pro-cat faction" urges Downing Street rat rethink . 25 January 2011 . . 30 October 2011 . 28 November 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221128071820/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-12265112 . live .
  17. Web site: Larry the tabby lands No10 job as rat catcher . . 14 February 2011 . Craig . Woodhouse . 30 October 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110504073012/http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/politics/article-23923294-larry-the-tabby-lands-no10-job-as-rat-catcher.do . 4 May 2011 .
  18. Book: Ford, Robert. Sex, Lies and the Ballot Box: 50 Things You Need To Know About British Elections. Robert Ford (academic). Biteback Publishing. 2004. 1849548250. London. Of mousers and men: how politics colours everything we see.
  19. Web site: Larry the cat joins David Cameron in Downing Street . BBC.com . 6 July 2019 . 15 February 2011 . During the 1920s, Labour Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald's cat - a renowned rat-catcher - had the rather regal title of Rufus of England, but was nicknamed "Treasury Bill". . 8 November 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221108231714/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-12460596 . live .
  20. Web site: The Cat that Looked at a Chancellor . . . 6 July 2019 . 5 July 1930 . 8 November 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221108045627/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/63654594/5310743 . live .
  21. News: 'Miaow, Prime Minister': the bureaucats of Downing Street . Campbell . Mel . 19 May 2010 . . 25 January 2011 . 31 October 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201031170548/https://www.crikey.com.au/2010/05/19/miaow-prime-minister-the-bureaucats-of-downing-street/ . live .
  22. Book: Churchill's War Volume II: Triumph in Adversity . Irving, David . 2001 . Focal Point Publications . 1-872197-15-9 . 833.
  23. Riddles, Mysteries, Enigmas . Finest Hour . 110 . Spring 2001 . The Churchill Centre.
  24. Riddles, Mysteries, Enigmas . Finest Hour . 109 . Winter 2000–2001 . The Churchill Centre.
  25. Web site: Roberts . Patrick . Wilberforce . Purr 'n' Fur: Famous Felines . July 7, 2019 . 3 December 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201203102912/http://www.purr-n-fur.org.uk/famous/humphrey.html#wilberforce . live .
  26. Web site: Associated Press . Associated Press . Wilberforce the Cat, Mouser to 4 British Leaders, Dead at 15 . . July 7, 2019 . May 20, 1988 . 8 November 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221108051038/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-05-20-mn-3809-story.html . live .
  27. Web site: Humphrey the Cat . 12 March 2008 . . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20071007232134/http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/upload/assets/www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/foi/humphrey_cat.pdf . 7 October 2007 .
  28. Web site: Morning press briefing from 11 September 2007 . 30 October 2011 . 11 September 2007 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20080104114933/http://www.pm.gov.uk/output/Page13158.asp . 4 January 2008 .
  29. Web site: History of 10 Downing Street . UK . 13 December 2017 . https://archive.today/20130901101847/https://www.gov.uk/government/history/10-downing-street%23emergence-of-downing-street . 1 September 2013 . dead . dmy-all .
  30. Web site: George Osborne's family cat Freya sent away from Downing Street to Kent . . Lizzie . Dearden . 9 November 2014 . 7 February 2015 . 22 November 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141122221341/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/george-osbornes-family-cat-freya-sent-away-from-downing-street-to-kent-9849853.html . live .

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