Last summer, the Speaker, a well-known animal enthusiast, adopted Attlee the cat. Despite his remark, over a million pounds have been spent on pest management in Parliament over the past decade.
Attlee the cat has cleaned the Houses of Parliament of rodents in preparation for Saturday’s coronation.
Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the House of Commons speaker, says his cat “went round” and found “absolutely none” rodents.
The declaration follows a decade in which Parliament has spent more than one million pounds on insect control.
Since 2012/13, authorities have spent £1.25m, with 60% coming from the House of Commons budget and 40% from the House of Lords by an existing agreement.
According to official documents, the majority of unwanted furry visitors in the Palace of Westminster are house mice and common rats.
If Attlee the Maine Coon is now in charge of ridding Westminster of vermin, he will have his hands full.
It is a much more difficult mission than the one undertaken by Larry, the chief mouser in Downing Street, who covers a much smaller area but has faced off against animals as large as a fox.
Sir Lindsay is a renowned animal lover with a menagerie of creatures with political themes.
Attlee, who was named after the post-war prime minister Clement Attlee, joined Sir Lindsay last summer.
Also present is Boris the parrot, whom Sir Lindsay claims to have taught to sing God Save The King, with the bird “listening very carefully.”
This is all in preparation for a Tuesday reception for the King and Queen Consort.
In Westminster Hall, Sir Lindsay will host the royals alongside Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Opposition Leader Sir Keir Starmer.
According to the Speaker, it is a “wonderful privilege” to be invited to the official coronation on May 6.
He will be in full regalia as he observes King Charles III’s coronation.
The Speaker also dismissed the possibility of the King interfering with politics.
“I have never witnessed the monarch object to the actions of the House of Commons. I never, ever expect that to occur. Sir Lindsay stated, “I see a mature recognition of democracy in this country, as we still have a monarch who plays his role.”
“I’ve got to say, what a privilege it is to have the sadness of Her Majesty and the dawn of a new King on the horizon.”
