David Cameron Gets Hustled¹ Out of Downing Street, but the Cat Stays

唐宁街10号，卡梅伦仓促搬家，把猫留下

LONDON — The cat can stay.

伦敦——猫可以留下来。

The only member of the household on Downing Street to be spared the indignity² of one of the fastest political transitions in recent memory will be Larry the Cat, a tabby who holds the title of chief mouser to the cabinet office.

这是人们近期记忆中最快的政治过渡事件之一。住在唐宁街的一家人中，唯一没有卷入尴尬的成员就是猫咪拉里(Larry the Cat)了。他是一只拥有内阁办公室首席捕鼠官头衔的虎斑猫。

The sudden victory of Theresa May, Britain’s home secretary, in the Conservative Party’s leadership contest on Monday put Prime Minister David Cameron in the unenviable position of having to vacate his residence in about 48 hours. A large blue moving van pulled up on Downing Street on Tuesday to retrieve³ the Cameron family’s belongings⁴.

本周一，在保守党领导权的角逐中，内政大臣特丽莎·梅(Theresa May)获得了突如其来的胜利，将首相卡梅伦置于了尴尬境地——他需要在大约48小时的时间里搬离唐宁街的官邸。周二的时候，一辆大型蓝色卡车停在唐宁街门口，来为卡梅伦搬家。

It is a rite⁵ of passage Britain has experienced many times, but one that is unfamiliar⁶ for most Americans. In the United States, a newly elected president has more than two months — between Election Day in early November and Inauguration⁷ Day, Jan. 20 — to set up a new administration.

这种仪式在英国已经出现了很多次，但对大多数美国人来说还比较新鲜。在美国，新当选的总统有两个多月的时间——从11月上旬的选举日到1月20日的就职日之间——建立一届新的政府。

Transitions in Britain are far swifter. A prime minister typically takes up official residence at 10 Downing Street upon getting the job, as Mr. Cameron did in 2010, when his Conservative Party took power after 13 years of Labour Party government.

在英国，交接过程就快多了。首相通常当选之后就要入住唐宁街10号官邸。2010年，当卡梅伦所在的保守党上台，接替执政了13年的工党政府时，他也是这样做的。

But the transition can seem even more jarring when a prime minister takes office without a general election. This occurred most recently in 2007, when Gordon Brown succeeded Tony Blair, and before that in 1990, when John Major took over from Margaret Thatcher⁸.

不过，如果首相不是通过大选而上任的，这种交接似乎就会更紧张一些。最近一次这样的情况发生在2007年，戈登·布朗(Gordon Brown)接替了托尼·布莱尔(Tony Blair)的时候，还有一次是1990年，约翰·梅杰(John Major)接替玛格丽特·撒切尔(Margaret Thatcher)的时候。

“The prime minister has said he is glad there will not be an elongated⁹ leadership process,” a spokesman for Mr. Cameron’s office said in a phone interview on Tuesday, speaking on condition of anonymity¹⁰ because of government protocol¹¹. He noted¹² that the need for stability engendered¹³ by Britain’s vote to leave the European Union had created a sense of urgency. “This is how British democracy works. When the leader changes, the prime minister changes, and the evacuation of the premises¹⁴ soon follows. It’s a quick departure, but it is what it is.”

“首相表示，他很高兴选出领导人的过程不会旷日持久，”卡梅伦办公室的一位发言人周二在电话采访中说。由于政府的规定，他要求不具名。这名发言人称，英国在脱欧公投之后需要局面保持稳定，由此催生了一种紧迫感。“这是英国民主的运作方式。当领导人发生变化，首相进行更替时，会马上腾出官邸。离开的速度很快，就是这样。”

Mr. Cameron led his final cabinet meeting on Tuesday. On Wednesday, after his final prime minister’s questions in Parliament, he will visit Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace to tender his resignation. Shortly after, Ms. May will be granted an audience with the queen and invited to form a government. She and her husband, Philip, will most likely pose for a photo in front of 10 Downing Street with Mr. Cameron and his family, as their predecessors¹⁵ have done.

卡梅伦本周二主持了他的最后一次内阁会议。本周三，他将在议会最后一次以首相身份接受质询，之后他会到白金汉宫拜见女王伊丽莎白二世，递交辞呈。不久后，女王将接见梅，并邀请她组建政府。梅和丈夫菲利普(Philip)很可能会站在唐宁街10号前，和卡梅伦及其家人拍一张合照，就像他们的前任所做的那样。

Larry the Cat will be staying, the government spokesman said wryly¹⁶, adding that Ms. May would inherit the tabby, adopted from an animal shelter in 2011 to help address a rat problem.

前述政府发言人不无幽默地说，猫咪拉里将会留下来，梅可能会继承这只虎斑猫。拉里是2011年从动物收容所收养的，来官邸帮助应对老鼠问题。

Mr. Cameron made his resignation announcement on June 24, one day after the referendum to withdraw from the European Union, a decision commonly known as Brexit. On Monday, after he announced the timetable of his departure and expressed his support for Ms. May, he was recorded jovially¹⁷ humming as he re-entered 10 Downing Street, seemingly relieved.

在6月24日，即脱欧公投的第二天，卡梅伦宣布辞职。本周一，在宣布了自己离开的时间表并表达了对梅的支持之后，他高兴地哼着曲子走进了唐宁街10号，样子如释重负。

But the rapid departure poses logistical challenges for Mr. Cameron and his wife, Samantha, including the question of where to live.

但是，由于需要快速搬离，卡梅伦和妻子萨曼莎(Samantha)面临着物流方面的挑战，比如他们要住在哪里就是一个问题。

The Camerons have three children — their youngest, Florence, is 5 — and hope to stay in the capital. But their home in the North Kensington area of west London has been rented out, and their farmhouse¹⁸ in the hamlet of Dean, Oxfordshire, about 73 miles northwest of London, is probably too far for daily commuting¹⁹.

卡梅伦夫妇有三个孩子，最小的弗洛伦丝(Florence)才5岁。夫妇俩希望继续住在伦敦。但他们位于伦敦西部北肯辛顿的住房已经租出去了，在牛津郡迪恩的乡村别墅位于伦敦西北约73英里处，每天上下班大概是太远了一些。

The arrival of the moving van at the rear entrance on Downing Street suggested that the Camerons have at least found temporary lodgings²⁰, although officials would not confirm this.

搬家的卡车抵达位于唐宁街的官邸后门，意味着卡梅伦至少找到了临时的住处，尽管工作人员没有确认这一点。

The movers arrived with 330 boxes, 30 rolls of tape and three rolls of Bubble Wrap. Simply Removals, the company that handled the Camerons’ move into Downing Street in 2010, and calls itself “London’s affordable²¹ removal firm,” advertises a “Big One” package that includes 25 standard boxes, two large boxes, two wardrobe boxes, Bubble Wrap, packing paper and tape, for 169 pounds, or about $224. A recording²² on the company’s office phone extolled²³ its qualifications, adding: “That’s why we were Prime Minister David Cameron’s choice when he first moved into No. 10.”

搬家工人带来330个箱子、30卷胶带和三卷气泡垫。这家名为无忧搬迁(Simply Removals)的公司在2010年帮助卡梅伦一家搬进了唐宁街。它自称“伦敦价格实惠的搬家公司”，宣传自己的“成套”服务，其中包括25个标准大小的箱子、两个大箱、两个衣柜箱、气泡垫、包装纸和胶带，收费169英磅（约合1500元人民币）。在办公电话拨通前的录音中，该公司大肆夸耀自身的资质，还加上了一句：“这就是为什么戴维·卡梅伦首相当初搬进唐宁街10号时会选择我们。”

The house at 10 Downing Street has been the official residence of the prime minister since 1735, but the Cameron family actually lives in more spacious²⁴ quarters at 11 Downing Street. That house is the official residence of the chancellor²⁵ of the Exchequer²⁶, Britain’s finance minister. (In 2010, the chancellor, George Osborne, chose to remain at his residence in the Notting Hill section of west London.)

自1735年以来，位于唐宁街10号的房子一直被用作英国首相的官邸，但卡梅伦一家实际上住在更宽敞的唐宁街11号。那座住宅其实是英国财政大臣的官邸。（2010年，财政大臣乔治·奥斯本[George Osborne]选择继续住在自己位于伦敦西部诺丁山的住宅内。）