Sir Lindsay Hoyle has been thrilled by the arrival of a new cat named after ex-Labour Prime Minister Clement Attlee, following the death of his favorite pet.
The animal-obsessed Speaker of the House of Commons has added four-month-old ‘Attlee’ to his extensive pet collection.
He’s a brown tabby Maine Coon, the same breed as Patrick, the Hoyle family’s 12-year-old cat who died from a tumor earlier this year.
Patrick, the Speaker’s “loved pet,” was named after a major political figure, Tory noble Lord Patrick McComack, who served as an MP for 36 years.
Sir Lindsay now has two pets named after Conservative politicians and two named after Labour personalities, thanks to the addition of Attlee.
He also has Boris the parrot, Betty the Patterdale Terrier, and Maggie the turtle.
Clement Attlee won the 1945 general election after serving as Winston Churchill’s deputy prime minister during the wartime coalition in the early 1940s.
As Prime Minister, he established the National Health Service.
‘Attlee is just the boldest, craziest, life-force you can imagine,’ the Speaker said of his new pet.
‘He rushes around my office, much to my team’s enjoyment, and brings a smile to the faces of doorkeepers, police officers, cleaners – and everyone who comes into contact with him.’
‘I still miss Patrick, my favorite pet, but Attlee, named after a past prime minister who founded the NHS, has cheered us up enormously.’
Sir Linsday has developed an Instagram account for Attlee, which he hopes will assist to engage animal lovers with democracy.
Attlee was characterized as the Speaker’s “lovable and curious new kitty,” and Instagram users were urged to “come follow me around the House of Commons.”
He is now vying with Larry, the Downing Street chief mouser, for the title of social media’s favorite cat.
Patrick died in March, two years after being named Westminster’s top cat in the Battersea Cats and Dogs Home’s ‘Purr Minster’ competition.
Patrick was named the winner of the 2020 election after three weeks of campaigning.
Nearly 5,000 members of the public voted for their favorite, with each owner required to submit a’manifursto’ of 50 words, along with a photograph of their feline, to explain why they thought their cat should win.
Patrick’s manifursto promised a better work/mouse balance, empathy for staff, purrfection for all, regular repawts, no fur flying in the chamber, impurrtiality, and feline good moments for all.
Share on Facebook «||» Share on Twitter «||» Share on Reddit «||» Share on LinkedIn