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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
World
William Mata

First photo of Sir Keir Starmer's new Downing Street kitten Prince released ahead of Labour conference

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has introduced a new Siberian kitten named Prince to Downing Street.

The feline was snapped exploring the PM's desk ahead of Labour's party conference.

Starmer revealed Prince won out over his children's preference for a German shepherd after "long summer negotiations".

It's unclear how Prince will get on with the Starmers' existing cat Jojo and Larry, No. 10's veteran Chief Mouser.

The PM announced the cat's name on September 8, but didn't explain if it's a nod to the singer or a royal reference.

While the choice sparked jokes about Starmer's character, the new pet has reportedly brought his family closer as they settle into Downing Street life.

"I have to acknowledge this is a big move for them and therefore negotiating a fantastic kitten called Prince was part of the deal that they extracted from me,” he said at the time.

"This change has a profound impact on our children. People asked me before the election what I was most worried about and I always said the impact on my children."

It had previously been reported that Downing Street is drawing up plans as to how to announce the demise of Larry.

Larry has become a fixture of Downing Street, known for his patrols of the grounds and occasional confrontations with local wildlife. 

His encounters with Palmerston, the Foreign Office cat, have often made headlines - while he once took on a fox and shied away from a stroke from Liz Truss.

It remains to be seen how nicely Larry, Prince and Mojo will all play together.

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