In recent months, Westminster has been animated with little more than Boris Johnson and his nine lives. Now, however, he may have a rival in this particular field: Lindsay Hoyle’s new cat, Attlee.
The feline will follow in the footsteps of other parliamentary moggies, such as Palmerston of the Foreign Office, Gladstone of the Treasury and Larry of Downing Street.
Although the president must relinquish his political allegiance, Hoyle christened the cat after Labor Prime Minister Clement Attlee from 1945 to 1951. Like many modern pet owners, she has created an Instagram account for her cat.
Hoyle posted the ad next to a photo of him sitting in the spokesman’s chair, holding the four-month-old Maine Coon. Attlee replaces Patrick, a fellow Maine Coon, who was named after Conservative Patrick McCormack.
Attlee (pictured) replaces Patrick, a fellow Maine Coon. Photo: Parliament of the United Kingdom / Jessica Taylor / PA
Hoyle said: “We present Attlee. A daring kitten who has brought a lot of joy to my office and team. He brings a smile to the face of everyone he comes in contact with in Parliament. Of course, I will always miss Patrick. , and I’m sure both of them would have gotten along very well. “
He continued to tell Sky News: “Attlee is just the boldest and craziest life force you can imagine: running around my office, for the fun of my team, and smiling at goalkeepers, cops and cleaners – and all that get in touch with him. “
Larry, the Downing Street cat. Photo: Tolga Akmen / EPA
Chorley’s deputy is a well-known animal lover, naming some of them as political figures. He has a parrot named Boris, a turtle named Maggie, and like Attlee, his dog Gordon was named after a former Labor prime minister.
Larry, perhaps Westminster’s most popular resident, initially moved to David Cameron’s Downing Street in 2011 and was later seen in a street fight with a pigeon a few yards from the Prime Minister’s house.
Palmerston announced his “retirement” as head of the Foreign Office on Twitter in 2020.