In 2022, the UK found itself once again in the midst of a leadership crisis, with the Prime Minister stepping down and the Conservative Party launching yet another internal leadership race. But this time, the general public had no say. The decision was in the hands of just 160,000 Tory party members.

This level of exclusion sparked widespread frustration. It felt undemocratic, outdated and completely disconnected from how modern Britain sees itself. We wanted to highlight this absurdity in a way that could cut through the noise - not with anger, but with wit, warmth and mischief.

Rather than take aim at any individual candidate (or further deepen political division), we chose a symbol that could unify people across the spectrum: Larry, the Downing Street cat. Loved by Brits of all persuasions, Larry had been the resident mouser through multiple governments - always present, always unbothered.

We made Larry the people's candidate. A campaign mascot not just for mockery, but for a bigger idea: giving the people a voice.

We launched Larry4Leader, a full-scale political spoof campaign fronted by a fictional feline challenger.

The campaign kicked off with four bold billboards placed across key London locations. Two featured tearaway ‘meowfestos’, allowing people to engage directly with the message on the street. Each billboard directed passers-by to the campaign microsite, Larry4Leader.com, where visitors could read Larry’s policies, submit support, and learn more about how little influence they actually had in choosing the country’s leader.

Our social strategy was built around the widely followed @Number10Cat parody Twitter account, which played along brilliantly, retweeting, engaging with supporters and fuelling the momentum. The voice was charming, sarcastic and sharply observant. It quickly gained traction, with people genuinely rallying behind Larry, not just for fun, but to call out a broken system.