Emmanuel Macron raised laughs among Downing Street staff with a quip about Larry the Cat during his visit to see Andy Burnham – the first international leader to visit No 10 since Burnham became Prime Minister
A witty remark from Emmanuel Macron had staff at Downing Street in stitches during his high-profile visit to No 10 – and it had nothing to do with trade deals or diplomatic relations. The French President became the first international leader to call on Andy Burnham at Downing Street since he took office on July 20, but it was a passing comment about a certain four-legged resident that got everyone talking.
The two leaders had spent the previous evening together at the British Museum alongside the King, attending a special exhibition of the Bayeux Tapestry, before reconvening at No 10 on Thursday morning for formal talks. On the diplomatic front, Burnham commended the cooperation between Britain and France in tackling small boat crossings in the Channel, saying the joint efforts were helping discourage people from making the treacherous crossing.
Figures published by the Home Office appeared to back up those claims, revealing the lowest total crossings since 2019 and the fewest number of people reaching the UK since 2020. There were 7,416 arrivals between June 1 and August 30 – compared to 15,458 over the same period in 2022 and 12,421 in 2023 under the Tories.
But it was what happened away from the formal agenda that captured the public’s imagination. Following the visit, Macron’s team shared a video on social media rounding up the trip, featuring a warm series of clips of the French President and Burnham alongside their respective wives, Brigitte and Marie-France van Heel.
Many viewers noted how natural and unguarded the four appeared, seemingly sharing genuine moments of laughter throughout. Yet it was one particular remark – about Larry the Cat – that stood out from the rest.
At the opening of the video, Brigitte Macron said: “Just a regret: Larry? Where is the cat?” and Emmanuel Macron replies: “Yeah, is Larry available? I hope he’s not in the British Museum.”
While the remark might appear peculiar in isolation, it references a viral social media post from Larry the Cat, who goes by @number10cat on X. Following the announcement that the Bayeux Tapestry would be coming to London, Larry’s account quoted the news with a quip about resisting the feline impulse to treat the invaluable textile as an enormous scratching post.
The French President appeared to be joking about keeping Larry away from the 11th-century embroidered cloth, which stretches nearly 70 metres in length and illustrates the events preceding the Norman Conquest of England in 1066.
Scores of viewers remarked on the footage to highlight the comment, with some describing it as “iconic”.
One person said: “The comment about the British museum ICONIC”.
A second said: “She’s like me… first question where’s the cat”.
A third said: “The museum line was a zinger.”
A fourth added: “You know what this actually looks like genuine chit chat, genuine laughing, with genuine people who are actually enjoying being around each other. For once it doesn’t look forced and rigid.”
Not everyone, however, was persuaded by the clip.
One person said: “Socialists having fun together whilst screwing their own people and countries.”
A second said: “Geez, how many prime ministers has macron had to deal with?”.
A third said: “Even the French PM knows its Larry that is really in charge.”
