Larry the cat celebrates 15 years as Downing Street staff

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February 2011, and 10 Downing Street had a new arrival.

Larry the cat moved in, selected from the animal shelter, Battersea Dogs and Cats home.

The tabby cat was recruited by then-Prime Minister David Cameron to solve a rat crisis at one of the world's most famous addresses.

The rescue cat has been a much-loved resident ever since, not least by the press camped outside the famous door.

"It was quite a few years ago and he was basically sleeping on the street and then I started photographing him just out of curiosity because I'd heard about him. And it's just the fact that he was just so nonchalant about how he would go about his business in Downing Street, not care about whether he would get run over and he's just there. It's like he owns the street. That was probably, what? 2011/2012, when he first came in. So then from there, basically, he would always come around and visit all of us, and so he knew I had snacks, so he would come and visit me because of that," says Justin Ng, a Downing Street photographer.

The government website says Larry spends his days "greeting guests..., inspecting security defences and testing antique furniture for napping quality."

His day-to-day responsibilities also include "contemplating a solution to the mouse occupancy of the house," it adds.

Larry, a former stray, has been known to take a relaxed approach to his mousing duties.

But he certainly makes himself available for photo ops.

"I think it's just that air of anticipation because we just don't know exactly what will happen, but we do know that he's great at photo bombing. So if there's a foreign leader that's about to visit, then we know he'll just come out at the exact moment that that meet and greet is about to happen and it's happened many, many times," says Ng.

Larry has witnessed many world leaders enter his home.

When Donald and Melania Trumped visited then-Prime Minister Theresa May, Larry managed to sneak into the doorstep photo call.

"He was actually on the windowsill when Mrs. May and Mr. May were ready to meet the Trumps and basically sleeping in the window. So a few of us shot a much wider shot of the Mays with the Trumps and with Larry just sleeping by the window, you know, just classic Larry. He doesn't care what's going on and it's just such an important occasion. And then you see he's just there, casual as always," recalls Ng.

But Larry was removed from the red carpet just before President Biden called upon Number 10 - much to the disappointment of the media.

"When Joe Biden came and basically he was lingering around on the red carpet and basically the custodian had to grab him and take him in and you could hear this collective sigh from all of us like: 'Oh no he's taking him in, he wouldn't actually meet Joe Biden."

While Larry has more of a reputation for napping on windowsills than ruthlessly hunting down vermin, he has been captured interacting with local wildlife.

"A lot of people seem to think that he's not very good at his job, but he is. He's also caught a pigeon once, but he never hurt the pigeon. So he's more of a lover than a fighter. He's a cat who knows how to handle things properly without causing any scenes," says Ng.