Akshata Murty gives update on Larry the Cat in rare interview about life at Downing Street
Larry the cat, or Nova the dog? A hidden power struggle has been raging behind the scenes at Number 10 – and one has come out on top.
That is according to Rishi Sunak’s wife, who has given an insight into life at Downing Street in a rare interview.
Speaking to the Sky Kids FYI show, Akshata Murty said while she felt “honoured” to live in the famous residence, Nova, the family’s pet Labrador, is having “mixed emotions”.
Speaking from Number 10, Ms Murty said: “Nova has mixed emotions about (living here) because she sometimes doesn’t get on with Larry the Cat.
“And they’ve had some heated exchanges and Larry’s come out on top.
“So she might have some mixed opinions on living here.
“But, you know, our family is so grateful to be here.”
Larry (also known as Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office), has resided in Number 10 for 12 years, remaining the one constant within an ever-changing government.
Nova the dog is having ‘mixed emotions’ living in Downing Street with Larry the Cat
He has served as a trusted companion to five prime ministers: David Cameron, Theresa May, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and now Mr Sunak, who came into office a year ago – bringing Nova along with him.
Ms Murty, the daughter of an Indian billionaire, said “not much has changed” since then.
FYI: Weekly News Show is from Sky Kids and the full interview can be seen on Sky News across the weekend
Asked what it’s like to be the wife of a prime minister, she said: “You know, I’ve had a busy life before. I’ve a busy life now.
“I think what’s been incredible is the range of opportunities that I’ve been exposed to… meeting really interesting people.”
Larry the cat is the famous feline resident of Number 10
Ms Murty has created an initiative – “Lessons at 10” – which invites children from across the UK to the prime minister’s residence to learn about the building’s history and the role of government.
She said: “Through the Lessons at 10 programme, meeting lots of young people every Friday, I really enjoy that and so for me, I look at it (being the prime minister’s wife) as a very special time in my life to help support my husband in the job he’s doing while opening up the doors to young people. “
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Ms Murty, a computer scientist and engineer who was the first woman to work for India’s largest carmaker, has also worked for her father’s tech empire Infosys, which she has a stake in, and has founded multiple businesses.
She and Mr Sunak married in 2009 after they met at Stanford University and have two young daughters.
While she has largely remained out of sight of the cameras since her husband’s rise to power, her wealth has come under scrutiny.
She was embroiled in a row about her non-dom tax status when Mr Sunak was chancellor – something Labour has sought to weaponise.
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There is “no doubt” the UK “will spend 3% of our GDP on defence” in the next parliament, the defence secretary has said.
John Healey’s comments come ahead of the publication of the government’s Strategic Defence Review (SDR) on Monday.
This is an assessment of the state of the armed forces, the threats facing the UK, and the military transformation required to meet them.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has previously set out a “clear ambition” to raise defence spending to 3% in the next parliament “subject to economic and fiscal conditions”.
Mr Healey has now told The Times newspaper there is a “certain decade of rising defence spending” to come, adding that this commitment “allows us to plan for the long term. It allows us to deal with the pressures.”
A government source insisted the defence secretary was “expressing an opinion, which is that he has full confidence that the government will be able to deliver on its ambition”, rather than making a new commitment.
The UK currently spends 2.3% of GDP on defence, with Sir Keir announcing plans to increase that to 2.5% by 2027 in February.
This followed mounting pressure from the White House for European nations to do more to take on responsibility for their own security and the defence of Ukraine.
The 2.3% to 2.5% increase is being paid for by controversial cuts to the international aid budget, but there are big questions over where the funding for a 3% rise would be found, given the tight state of government finances.
While a commitment will help underpin the planning assumptions made in the SDR, there is of course no guarantee a Labour government would still be in power during the next parliament to have to fulfil that pledge.
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From March: How will the UK scale up defence?
A statement from the Ministry of Defence makes it clear that the official government position has not changed in line with the defence secretary’s comments.
The statement reads: “This government has announced the largest sustained increase to defence spending since the end of the Cold War – 2.5% by 2027 and 3% in the next parliament when fiscal and economic conditions allow, including an extra £5bn this financial year.
“The SDR will rightly set the vision for how that uplift will be spent, including new capabilities to put us at the leading edge of innovation in NATO, investment in our people and making defence an engine for growth across the UK – making Britain more secure at home and strong abroad.”
Sir Keir commissioned the review shortly after taking office in July 2024. It is being led by Lord Robertson, a former Labour defence secretary and NATO secretary general.
The Ministry of Defence has already trailed a number of announcements as part of the review, including plans for a new Cyber and Electromagnetic Command and a £1bn battlefield system known as the Digital Targeting Web, which we’re told will “better connect armed forces weapons systems and allow battlefield decisions for targeting enemy threats to be made and executed faster”.
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PM Sir Keir Starmer and Defence Secretary John Healey on a nuclear submarine earlier this year. Pic: Crown Copyright 2025
On Saturday, the defence secretary announced a £1.5bn investment to tackle damp, mould and make other improvements to poor quality military housing in a bid to improve recruitment and retention.
Mr Healey pledged to “turn round what has been a national scandal for decades”, with 8,000 military family homes currently unfit for habitation.
He said: “The Strategic Defence Review, in the broad, will recognise that the fact that the world is changing, threats are increasing.
“In this new era of threat, we need a new era for defence and so the Strategic Defence Review will be the vision and direction for the way that we’ve got to strengthen our armed forces to make us more secure at home, stronger abroad, but also learn the lessons from Ukraine as well.
“So an armed forces that can be more capable of innovation more quickly, stronger to deter the threats that we face and always with people at the heart of our forces… which is why the housing commitments that we make through this strategic defence review are so important for the future.”
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