Living in Downing Street: Rishi Sunak and family move back in

The new prime minister and his family will be returning to live in the flat above No 10, Downing Street has said.

Rishi Sunak, along with his wife and two daughters, stayed in the flat when he was chancellor to Boris Johnson.

Many PMs of recent years – especially those with children – have lived in the larger flat above No 11, officially designated for the chancellor.

Asked why Mr Sunak has opted for No 10 instead, a Downing Street spokeswoman said: “They were very happy there.”

The residential areas inside Downing Street, are generally kept away from the public eye. But a few publicity shots from the past decades have offered glimpses into the décor behind the famous No 10 door.

Speaking to the Times in August during the summer leadership contest Mr Sunak said the family would “probably just move back into the flat where we used to live, to be honest” if elected.

“We have already decorated it and it’s lovely.”

Meanwhile, several predecessors including Mr Johnson elected to live in No 11 because the four-bedroom flat there is much larger than the one above No 10.

Tony Blair and his wife Cherie and their family were the first to make the switch, swapping home with the then unmarried Gordon Brown. The Blairs turned the space into a family home.

It was then extensively refurbished by David and Samantha Cameron in 2011 at a cost of £30,000.

Days before Theresa May was due to move in in 2016, the Sun reported she was eying up the No 11 flat that had been renovated by the Camerons.

A row about the interiors of Downing Street emerged more recently when Mr Johnson faced criticism over an expensive revamp of the No 11 flat – which led to the Conservative Party being fined £17,800.

The prime minister receives an annual public grant of £30,000 to spend on living quarters.

However the work for Mr Johnson and his wife Carrie, carried out by interior designer Lulu Lytle, cost more than £200,000.

The work was initially paid for by the Cabinet Office, but £52,000 was given to the Conservative Party by Tory donor Lord Brownlow to cover the bills.

Mr Johnson and his wife Carrie wanted to transform the flat from previous PM Ms May’s “John Lewis furniture nightmare” into a “high society haven”, according to society magazine Tatler.

Mr Johnson said he had since covered the costs from his own pocket.

The Electoral Commission fined the Tory party and found it had failed to accurately declare all of Lord Brownlow’s donations towards the renovation.

Asked whether Mr Sunak and his family will redecorate, the PM’s press secretary said: “Not that I’m aware of.”

In April, before Mr Sunak resigned as chancellor, his family moved out of Downing Street to their west London house to be closer to their children’s school.

This came at a similar time as reports emerged that Mr Sunaks’ wife, Akshata Murty had claimed “non-dom” tax status, reportedly saving her millions.

In his final few months as chancellor, Mr Sunak split his time between the family home and his official residence.

In the interview with the Times, Mr Sunak insisted the move from Downing Street in April was because his eldest daughter was in her last term of primary school and was meant to be able to walk to school by herself every day.

No 10 Downing Street has been the residence of British prime ministers since 1735, says the government’s website. It has three functions – the official residence of the PM, their office and where the prime minister entertains guests from world leaders to royalty.

It is much larger than it appears from the front, with a warren of rooms and staircases spreading from the hall with the chequered floor immediately behind the front door.

And another important resident of No 10 Downing Street is the cat, Larry, who has lived there since 2011 and has often caught the public’s attention.