Prime Minister Keir Starmer has confirmed that he will be getting a new cat for number 10 Downing Street.
As first reported by The Herald, Tom Baldwin, a friend of the Prime Minister and the author of Keir Starmer: The Biography let the cat out of the bag during an appearance at the Aye Write book festival in Glasgow.
On Monday the Prime Minister said that after a "summer of long negotiations", which began with his children asking for a German shepherd dog, a Siberian kitten will be joining the family.
Mr Starmer said on Five Live: "The problem we've got, which is the same for JoJo the cat, is that the only door out of our new flat is bomb proof.
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"Therefore getting a cat flap is proving a little bit difficult. But our daughter has persuaded us that the problem isn't any bigger for two cats than one."
Sir Keir had previously said that the cat was “treated with more respect” by his family than he is.
Before the election, he told BBC Derby: "We've got a cat called JoJo, revered by the kids. JoJo was a cat we got from a rescue centre.
"JoJo is treated with far more respect in our household than I am. When I walk through the door I have to put the baggage of being Leader of the Labour Party down, I'm Dad and I'm fair game for the kids to ridicule me, laugh at me etc.
"But JoJo, on the other hand, if JoJo wants food, or a seat on the settee, or to sit on the kid's bed he's got pride of place.”
When the news was broken by the Herald readers had some amusing suggestions.
One reader said: “Maybe he should call it “Astrophy” then it wouldn’t be the only catastrophe in number 10.
Another suggested the name ‘Toolie’. Why, I hear you ask. You may have heard that Kier Starmer’s father was a toolmaker...
Some suggestions from inside The Herald’s office were Moggie Thatcher, Kitti Patel, Whiskers, Sadiq Khat, and quite simply, Bob.
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