@deadwronghistory1: Tony Blair described the Humphrey the cat controversy as the worst crisis his government had faced. He wasn't entirely joking. Humphrey was a stray who wandered into 10 Downing Street in 1989 under Thatcher. He was named after Sir Humphrey Appleby from Yes Minister — the obstructive civil servant. He survived Thatcher, survived Major, and was still there when Blair arrived in May 1997. Six months later, he was gone. The official explanation was kidney disease and retirement with a Cabinet Office civil servant. The unofficial one — which the tabloids ran with for weeks — was that Cherie Blair had forced him out because she hated cats. The Cabinet Office took the allegations so seriously they staged a proof-of-life photograph. Humphrey was photographed next to that day's newspaper — the same way kidnappers send ransom photos — to prove he was still breathing. Then Blair flew to an EU summit. Romano Prodi, the Italian Prime Minister, pulled him aside as a matter of urgency. This was a bilateral moment between two major European leaders. Prodi had been waiting to raise it personally: "Hey Tony, why you killing your cat?" Blair would later face the cash-for-honours scandal, the Hutton Inquiry, 500,000 people marching through London calling for his resignation. In November 1997, the story dominating British political coverage was whether the Prime Minister had murdered a cat. #tonyblair #blairgovernment #humphreythecat #downingstreet #britishpolitics #deadwronghistory #historyisstranger #politicalhistory #1990s #cherieblair

Dead Wrong History

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Friday 18 September 2026 13:58:25 GMT