Larry the cat staying put in Downing Street

Matthew d’Ancona once asserted in his biography of Mr Cameron, In It Together, that the Camerons found Larry annoying owing to his lazy attitude towards rodents – and that he was little more than a public relations ploy.

“Larry is staying. He’s very much the Downing Street cat, not the Camerons’ personal cat”, Cabinet Office spokesman Benjamin Oliver told NBC News, adding: “He is a Downing Street legend”.

Online jokers raised fears that the celebrity moggy would leave Downing Street with outgoing PM Cameron.

Incoming Prime Minister Theresa May will be the new resident of the house.

The famous feline, who began his job as “chief mouser” at 10 Downing Street in 2011, will remain at the official residence of Britain’s Prime Minister even though David Cameron is leaving the post, according to BBC News.

The tabby cat, from London’s Battersea Cats and Dogs Home, was brought in to Downing Street in 2011 tasked with tackling a rat problem, after a large black rat was seen scuttling past the No 10’s front door in the background of a live TV broadcast. Larry was the first cat to hold the appointment since stalwart ratter Humphrey was retired in 1997.

Humphrey was succeeded for a short period by Sybil, the pet of then chancellor Alistair Darling, in 2007, but the renowned mouser failed to settle, and returned to Scotland. “I need to make a good impression on someone on Wednesday…” – referring to May’s arrival.

After spending a few years alone, Larry gained a friend nearby in April – Palmerston, the Foreign Office’s official cat.