We should have more Commons cats to take care of rodents, suggests Hoyle

The animal-loving Commons Speaker has welcomed Clem, a three-year-old stray, to the family – to join ‘head mouser’ Attlee.

Sir Lindsay Hoyle has suggested there is a need for more cats in Parliament after welcoming a stray named Clem to his family.

The Commons Speaker joked there would be “cats across the House” to take care of the rodent population “if I had my way”, adding he would also love to see a “Bring Your Pet Day” in Parliament.

He made the remarks in the presence of Attlee, dubbed “head mouser of Speaker’s House”, who is two-and-a-half years old.

Clem stretched out on a window ledge in Sir Lindsay Hoyle's office in Parliament — Clem, a stray cat who Sir Lindsay Hoyle has recently welcomed into his family (Jackie Storer/House of Commons)

Animal-loving Sir Lindsay has a number of pets, including a tortoise named Maggie and a parrot named Boris.

In 2014, calls were made for rescue cats from Battersea Dogs and Cats Home to be deployed in Parliament to crack down on mice running riot on the estate.

But the Commons was told a study had shown because of the size of the Westminster estate, one or two rescue cats would not be enough and a “herd of cats” would not be manageable.

Clem walking along a sofa in Sir Lindsay's office — Clem is a black cat with Bengal markings (Jackie Storer/House of Commons)

“We’ve had the odd MP ring up and say, including the Clerk of the House, ‘Oh there’s a mouse in my office, can we borrow Attlee?’ and he’s gone out.”

Sir Lindsay said Attlee’s “good service is always welcome”, adding: “The good thing is he only asks for a pack of Dreamies. What he’ll do for a Dreamies – in fact, he’s looking at you now thinking you might have some.”

Attlee the cat cuddling up to a cushion adorned with the crowned portcullis official emblem of the UK Parliament — Attlee is a brown tabby Maine Coon (Richard Wheeler/PA)

“There’s nothing better than seeing a cat. Anybody who likes cats are nice people.”

He added: “I’d love to have ‘Bring Your Pet Day to Parliament’, I think it’d be fantastic. Maggie my tortoise is on the terrace at the moment. Boris the parrot is upstairs already, he’s shouting away.

“We’ve got Attlee but we’ve now got Clem.”

Sir Lindsay described Clem as “part-Bengal but mixed with some alley cat I think”, adding: “He’s a black cat with Bengal markings in his fur. He’s quite cute, completely different to Attlee.

“I think it’s the Jekyll and Hyde of the cat society.”

He added of Clem: “He’s a new stray that’s come along that we’ve taken in. He turned up at our house one day.”