Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle reveals his beloved Maine Coon cat Patrick has died at the age of 12 – two years after being crowned Westminster’s top cat
- The Speaker today shared the sad news of Patrick’s death in a Twitter post
- The 64-year-old animal lover’s cat had won the 2020 Purr Minister competition
- He also has other pets which are named after famous British political figures
- Include Maggie the tortoise, Boris the parrot and Betty the Patterdale terrier
Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle has today revealed that his beloved Main Coon cat Patrick has died at the age of 12- two years after being crowned Westminster’s top cat.
In a Twitter post, he shared the sad news, saying: ‘It’s no secret that I’m an animal lover and that my pets mean the world to me, so it’s with a heavy heart I have to tell you that our beloved Maine Coon cat Patrick has died.
‘At 12 years old, Patrick lived a great life- the highlight of which for him- and me- was being crowned Westminster’s top cat in Battersea’s Purr Minister competition.
‘Patrick was a big part of my family, and I loved having him with me, both in my constituency and in Westminster.’
In a Twitter post (pictured), he shared the sad news, saying: ‘It’s no secret that I’m an animal lover and that my pets mean the world to me, so it’s with a heavy heart I have to tell you that our beloved Maine Coon cat Patrick has died’
Battersea Cats and Dog’s Home’s Purr Minister Competition aims to find the public’s favourite politician’s cat and is open to the cats of all MPs and peers.
After three weeks of campaigning in the 2020 contest, Patrick beat nine others to become the top cat.
The competition saw nearly 5,000 members of the public vote for their winner.
The 64-year-old said at the time: ‘Patrick was up against a tough field of well-loved cats, but I think his personality and beauty won over members of the public, who I must thank for all their support in electing him.’
After three weeks of campaigning in the 2020 contest, Patrick beat nine others to become the top cat. Pictured: Patrick and Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle in 0ctober 2020
Owners had submitted a ‘manifursto’ of 50 words along with a photograph of their feline to express why they thought their pet should triumph in the contest.
Patrick’s manifursto had pledged a better work/mouse balance, empawment for staff, purrfection for all, regular repawts, no fur flying in the chamber, impurrtiality and feline fine moments for everyone.
The beloved cat was pictured in the House of Commons with the Speaker in the past and often came to work with him in his office.
He was one of the 64-year-old animal lover’s many pets, all of whom are named after famous British political figures.
In October 2020, the Speaker introduced some of them in an interview with the Spanish EFE agency.
The 64-year-old animal lover is the proud owner of a number of other pets which are named after famous British political figures. In October 2020, he introduced some of his animals in an interview with the Spanish EFE agency. Pictured: Patrick the cat, Boris the parrot and the Speaker in October 2020
He posed with Patrick in the interview, calling him the ‘posh cat’ and revealing that he was named after conservative Lord Patrick Cormack.
And he said that his late feline Dennis was named after politician Dennis Skinner.
He also smiled for photographs with his parrot Boris, named after the current Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Previously the Chorley MP had revealed that the parrot was able to speak and commonly said ‘Order, order’ and ‘Lock the doors’ on the London to Lancashire train.
He also said the parrot was given the name Boris because of its ‘propensity to chatter loudly’ and its vocabulary.
He also had Gordon the dog, who sadly died more than a year ago but was named after the former Labour prime minister Gordon Brown. Pictured: The Speaker with Patrick the cat, Boris the parrot, Gordon the dog, Betty the dog and Maggie the tortoise
And the speaker called Boris a ‘great character of the house’.
Referring to his pets as ‘part of the family’, he said in the October 2020 interview that Patrick and Boris both think they ‘belong in London.’
He also had Gordon the dog, who sadly died more than a year ago but was named after the former Labour prime minister Gordon Brown.
The Speaker said the 57-pound Rottweiler was named Gordon as: ‘They always say Gordon had a clunking fist and I’ve got a dog that has a clunking paw.
‘If you stop stroking him, this big paw bangs you to stroke him again, hence he was called Gordon.’
Previously he had revealed that the parrot (pictured) was able to speak and commonly said ‘Order, order’ and ‘Lock the doors’ on the London to Lancashire train
Gordon was a competition winner like Patrick and got third place in the Westminster Dog of the Year contest in 2012.
Another animal in the Hoyle household is Patterdale Terrier Betty, named after a former Speaker of the House of Commons, Baroness Betty Boothroyd.
Betty was described as ‘tenacious’ and ‘lets nothing go by’ like Baroness Betty Boothroyd, who was the first female Speaker and was in the role from 1992 to 2000.
The Speaker also has Maggie the tortoise who is named after former Conservative leader Margaret Thatcher.
Another animal in the Hoyle household is Patterdale Terrier Betty, named after a former Speaker of the House of Commons, Baroness Betty Boothroyd. Pictured: The Speaker with Patrick the cat in 2021 at his office
Telling the BBC of his inspiration behind her name in 2019, he said: ‘She’s got a hard shell and she’s not for turning. She’s three stone in weight is this tortoise.’
The Speaker suggested in 2020 that he would be open to increasing his politically- themed pet family.
Asked whether his next pet could be called Jeremy or Keir in reference to former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn and his replacement, the more centrist Sir Keir Starmer, Sir Lindsay said: ‘It depends on the character of the animal. But I think it would be nice to have a Keir.’
Source: Read Full Article