Overview
- Politics UK published a story saying Larry had died, then withdrew the piece and said the claim came from a source that had been hacked.
- Larry's verified X account responded with an adapted Mark Twain line saying reports of his death were greatly exaggerated and presented the cat as alive and active.
- Larry was brought to 10 Downing Street by David Cameron to tackle rats and has since become a long‑standing, public fixture of the building's image.
- The episode illustrates how compromised sourcing can push false reports into the news cycle and how institutional social accounts can act quickly to correct the record.
- With more than 900,000 followers and tourist appeal, Larry's role as a cultural symbol means false reports draw wide attention and raise questions about verification practices in digital reporting.