The new British Prime Minister's first day at 10 Downing Street

[New Sancai Compilation First Release] On July 5th, after a few hours of sleep, Keir Starmer stepped into No. 10 Downing Street for the first time as Prime Minister after a long night of celebrations and an audience with the King. front door.

As he does so, he enters an alternate reality: a man who meets regularly with King Charles III and ultimately takes control of Britain's nuclear missiles, all while adjusting to life in this crumbling 17th-century landmark and trying to balance his work and personal life .

On his first day in office, Starmer will be briefed by senior civil servants on the key issues facing the government, receive congratulatory calls from world leaders and begin the process of appointing a cabinet.

Here are some of the other traditions and responsibilities he faced on his first day wearing the No. 10 jersey.

When the Prime Minister first walks through the gleaming doors of 10 Downing Street, domestic staff and civil servants line up at the entrance as is customary to applaud the new leader and his senior team.

It was Starmer's introduction to the people he would live and work with, most of whom his predecessor had served only hours before.

Salma Shah, a special adviser to former finance minister Sajid Javid, described the custom as both a good gesture and a strange experience, especially given civil servants' reaction to the latest A group of politicians who have found their way into the heart of British government know little or nothing.

“I often think about the fact that no one really claps for you every time you leave office,” she told a briefing on the new administration’s first day in office sponsored by the Institute for Government think tank. "So it's nice, but it's also weird."

One of the most sobering moments of any Prime Minister's first day in office is the realization that he now has the ultimate authority over whether to launch Britain's nuclear missiles.

In Britain, this point was underscored when the country's top civil servant informed the new prime minister that he must write a "final letter" to the captains of Britain's four nuclear submarines telling them what to do in the event of a nuclear attack. Eliminated civilian leadership.

This is a uniquely British responsibility, as there is no "nuclear football" in which the US president carries a briefcase containing targeting data and launch codes with him wherever he goes.

The letters were placed in a safe on each submarine, which could only be opened when the submarine's captain was certain that Britain had been attacked and the country's civilian leaders were dead.

Although the letters were destroyed unread when a new Prime Minister took office, it was thought that there were only four options: retaliate, not retaliate, use your own judgment, or place nuclear weapons under US or Australian command, If possible.

No. 10 Downing Street is the abbreviation of the British Prime Minister, just like the White House is the abbreviation of the President of the United States. But that's what they have in common.

Behind the famous black door at No. 10 is a row of interconnected offices, meeting rooms and two residences, converted from three townhouses built in the late 1600s.

Two years ago, a workplace consultant said that with around 400 staff working in around 100 offices, the space had become dysfunctional and recommended that the prime minister's top team move to modern office space.

Andrew Mawson, managing director of Advanced Workplace Associates, said in 2022: "It is clear that 10 Downing Street is not fit for purpose, and much of the chaotic decision-making that plagues the government probably stems from not having a suitable office." No big company - even It's a government department - operating out of a largely unreconstructed 300-year-old building, with no CEO living above the shop.

One of the first decisions the new Prime Minister of the United Kingdom has to make is whether to live in a two-bedroom apartment above No. 10 Downing Street, the traditional residence of the British leader, or to live in No. 11 Downing Street, the former residence of the British leader. ), a more spacious four-bedroom apartment above.

Starmer, who is married with two teenage children, is likely to follow recent precedent and get a larger flat. With the exception of his predecessor Rishi Sunak, every prime minister since Blair has chosen this option.

Number 10 Downing Street is part of a row of townhouses built between 1682 and 1684 by the former diplomat and property developer George Downing. It has been the official residence of the British Prime Ministers since 1735 and has been continuously expanded over the years to join the adjacent buildings 11 and 12.

There were problems from the beginning.

To increase profits, Downing cut costs. The houses' foundations are not large enough to accommodate the marshy ground and are painted with mortar lines to give the appearance of evenly spaced bricks, according to the government website.

One former resident, Winston Churchill, described Downing Street with his characteristic flair. "It's crumbling and built by hugely profitable contractors who bear their names."

Before the day is out, Starmer may have met Larry the Cat, undoubtedly Downing Street's most famous permanent resident, for the first time.

Larry, a gray and white tabby cat, roams the Government Center as if it were his own private domain.

The stray cat was brought to Downing Street from Battersea Dogs and Cats Home in 2011 to help control the rodent problem and has served as "chief rat catcher" ever since.

Larry had the press corps subordinate to him, and whenever the news was slow, or indeed all the time, the photographers would film him. Larry even has 843,000 followers on X (formerly Twitter).

So the question is: after Starmer writes his final letters, meets with civil servants and begins to adjust to this big change in his life, will he find time to tickle Larry's ears? What would Larry think?

After all, prime ministers come and go. But Larry? He'd better not go anywhere, said freelance photographer Justin Ng, considered Larry's favorite photographer in Downing Street. Give up the idea that Larry might retire!

"I hope Mr. Starmer ... does not underestimate Larry's popularity," Wu said. "Basically, if he wants to stay in power, Larry has to stay, too."

(Compiled by: Wang Jimin)

(Editor: Jiang Qiming)

(Source of the article: Compiled and published by New Sancai)