Peter, Humphrey, Larry. Just some of the famous names to have the coveted title of Chief Mouser at Downing Street.

Now, Sir Kier Starmer has moved into Number 10, and he's brought some competition for Larry.

The Prime Minister already has a cat, JoJo. Larry has patrolled the street for the last decade, and now Mr Starmer wants to turn Downing Street into a Triple Threat match by adding a third cat to the mix.

However, if the headlines from across the country can be believed, a media plan has been prepared for the 17-year-old Chief Mouser’s eventual passing. It would indeed be a sad day for British Politics, but a new addition might soften the blow.

But what shall this new cat be called? That is the important question.

When the news was broken by the Herald yesterday 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.

It looks like the long-standing tradition of Chief Mouser will continue, and long may it.

The history of felines first infiltrating British government is believed to date back to King Henry VIII, and the cat was owned by Cardinal Thomas Wolsey. However, official records released into the public domain in 2005 show that cats in Downing Street only date back to 1929 when A.E. Banham at the Treasury authorised the Office Keeper "to spend 1 dime a day from petty cash towards the maintenance of an efficient cat".

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In 1932, the allowance was increased to one shilling and six dimes (around 18p) per week.

By the turn of the new millennium, the Chief Mouser was costing £100 per annum.

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. In fact, the Chief Mouser’s term has no set length, it only ever ends with retirement or death.

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.

(Image: Stefan Rousseau/PA)

Larry has been in office since 2011, and before that, the previous incumbent was Sybil who served between 2007 and 2009. Sybil was owned by the chancellor Alistair Darling, and reportedly returned to Scotland to live with a friend of the Darlings after Labour's last stint in government came to an end.

Some of the previous cats to hold the title include, Rufus of England, who was popularly nicknamed Treasury Bill, Munich Mouser, Nelson, Peta, Wilberforce, and Humphrey.

Of course, the list of the future Chief Mouser's name could be never-ending, so if you’re reading this, let The Herald know what the new Downing Street Cat should be called in the comments below.