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MP's moggy is crowned Westminster Top Cat

News imageAdrian Ramsay A man is wearing glasses and looking into the camera. He is wearing an orange knitted jumper and has a black cat on his shoulder. Adrian Ramsay
Waveney Valley MP Adrian Ramsay says the "real boss of the house" Bella has been named Purr Minister

A moggy belonging to a Suffolk MP has been crowned Purr Minister 2026 after she was voted Westminster's Top Cat.

Fourteen-year-old Bella is the beloved pet of Waveney MP and former co-leader of the Green Party, Adrian Ramsay. She won 877 public votes ahead of the Bishop of Newcastle's cat, Ebba, with 741 votes.

The Purr Minister ballot, by Battersea Cats and Dogs Home, has been running since 2014 and aims to raise awareness of cat welfare issues.

Ramsay said: "I'm delighted that the real boss of our house, Bella, has been crowned Purr Minister of the United Kingdom. I'm very proud of her."

Pets from across Westminster compete for the title every year and past winners include Patrick - whose owner is the Speaker of the House, Sir Lindsay Hoyle - and the Number 10 cat, Larry.

News imageGetty Images larry is a black and white cat and it is sitting next to the bootscraper outside Number 10 Downing StreetGetty Images
Larry the Number 10 cat was a previous winner of the feline accolade

Among Bella's "manifursto" pledges were that "cats retain supreme authority over dogs, dog beds and all disputed soft furnishings" and that "paper money will be replaced by tuna, Dreamies and premium catnip".

Ramsay added: "We are a nation of animal lovers and I am proud to play a leading role in championing animal issues in parliament.

"Animal protection isn't a side issue. It is fundamental to the kind of country we want to be and the public rightly expects us to act."