British PM's 1st day at 10 Downing St. will stretch from nuclear weapons briefing to Larry the cat
Keir Starmer stepped through the front door of 10 Downing St. for the first time as prime minister on Friday. When he did, he entered the alternate reality of a man who meets regularly with King Charles III and has ultimate control of Britain's nuclear missiles, all while adjusting to life in a creaking 17th century landmark and trying to balance his work and personal life.
On his first day in office, Starmer will get briefings from senior civil servants about key issues facing the government, receive congratulatory phone calls from world leaders and begin the process of appointing his Cabinet.
Here is a look at some of the other traditions and responsibilities he faces on his first day inside No. 10.
Clap for the leader
The first time a prime minister walks through the uber-polished door of 10 Downing St., household staff and civil servants by custom line the entrance and clap for the new leader and his senior team.
It is Starmer's introduction to the people he will live and work with, most of whom served his predecessor only a few hours earlier.
Salma Shah, a special adviser to former Treasury chief Sajid Javid, described the custom as equal parts nice gesture and strange experience, particularly given that the civil servants know little or nothing about the latest batch of politicians moving into the heart of British government.
«I've often mused over the fact that no one really claps you on the way out whenever you leave your job,'' she said during a briefing about the first days of a new administration
