唐寧街10號 卡梅倫倉促搬家把貓留下

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

唐寧街10號，卡梅倫倉促搬家，把貓留下

LONDON — The cat can stay.

倫敦——貓可以留下來。

The only member of the household on Downing Street to be spared the indignity 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.

這是人們近期記憶中最快的政治過渡事件之一。住在唐寧街的一家人中，唯一沒有捲入尷尬的成員就是貓咪拉里(Larry the Cat)了。他是一隻擁有內閣辦公室首席捕鼠官頭銜的虎斑貓。

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 retrieve the Cameron family’s belongings.

本週一，在保守黨領導權的角逐中，內政大臣特麗莎·梅(Theresa May)獲得了突如其來的勝利，將首相卡梅倫置於了尷尬境地——他需要在大約48小時的時間裏搬離唐寧街的官邸。週二的時候，一輛大型藍色卡車停在唐寧街門口，來爲卡梅倫搬家。

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

這種儀式在英國已經出現了很多次，但對大多數美國人來說還比較新鮮。在美國，新當選的總統有兩個多月的時間——從11月上旬的選舉日到1月20日的就職日之間——建立一屆新的政府。

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.

在英國，交接過程就快多了。首相通常當選之後就要入住唐寧街10號官邸。2010年，當卡梅倫所在的保守黨上臺，接替執政了13年的工黨政府時，他也是這樣做的。

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 Thatcher.

不過，如果首相不是通過大選而上任的，這種交接似乎就會更緊張一些。最近一次這樣的情況發生在2007年，戈登·布朗(Gordon Brown)接替了託尼·布萊爾(Tony Blair)的時候，還有一次是1990年，約翰·梅傑(John Major)接替瑪格麗特·撒切爾(Margaret Thatcher)的時候。

“The prime minister has said he is glad there will not be an elongated leadership process,” a spokesman for Mr. Cameron’s office said in a phone interview on Tuesday, speaking on condition of anonymity because of government protocol. He noted that the need for stability engendered 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 premises soon follows. It’s a quick departure, but it is what it is.”

“首相表示，他很高興選出領導人的過程不會曠日持久，”卡梅倫辦公室的一位發言人週二在電話採訪中說。由於政府的規定，他要求不具名。這名發言人稱，英國在脫歐公投之後需要局面保持穩定，由此催生了一種緊迫感。“這是英國民主的運作方式。當領導人發生變化，首相進行更替時，會馬上騰出官邸。離開的速度很快，就是這樣。”

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 predecessors have done.

卡梅倫本週二主持了他的最後一次內閣會議。本週三，他將在議會最後一次以首相身份接受質詢，之後他會到白金漢宮拜見女王伊麗莎白二世，遞交辭呈。不久後，女王將接見梅，並邀請她組建政府。梅和丈夫菲利普(Philip)很可能會站在唐寧街10號前，和卡梅倫及其家人拍一張合照，就像他們的前任所做的那樣。

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

前述政府發言人不無幽默地說，貓咪拉里將會留下來，梅可能會繼承這隻虎斑貓。拉里是2011年從動物收容所收養的，來官邸幫助應對老鼠問題。

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 jovially humming as he re-entered 10 Downing Street, seemingly relieved.

在6月24日，即脫歐公投的第二天，卡梅倫宣佈辭職。本週一，在宣佈了自己離開的時間表並表達了對梅的支持之後，他高興地哼着曲子走進了唐寧街10號，樣子如釋重負。

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

但是，由於需要快速搬離，卡梅倫和妻子薩曼莎(Samantha)面臨着物流方面的挑戰，比如他們要住在哪裏就是一個問題。

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 farmhouse in the hamlet of Dean, Oxfordshire, about 73 miles northwest of London, is probably too far for daily commuting.

卡梅倫夫婦有三個孩子，最小的弗洛倫絲(Florence)才5歲。夫婦倆希望繼續住在倫敦。但他們位於倫敦西部北肯辛頓的住房已經租出去了，在牛津郡迪恩的鄉村別墅位於倫敦西北約73英里處，每天上下班大概是太遠了一些。

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

搬家的卡車抵達位於唐寧街的官邸後門，意味着卡梅倫至少找到了臨時的住處，儘管工作人員沒有確認這一點。

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 affordable 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 recording on the company’s office phone extolled its qualifications, adding: “That’s why we were Prime Minister David Cameron’s choice when he first moved into No. 10.”

搬家工人帶來330個箱子、30卷膠帶和三卷氣泡墊。這家名爲無憂搬遷(Simply Removals)的公司在2010年幫助卡梅倫一家搬進了唐寧街。它自稱“倫敦價格實惠的搬家公司”，宣傳自己的“成套”服務，其中包括25個標準大小的箱子、兩個大箱、兩個衣櫃箱、氣泡墊、包裝紙和膠帶，收費169英磅（約合1500元人民幣）。在辦公電話撥通前的錄音中，該公司大肆誇耀自身的資質，還加上了一句：“這就是爲什麼戴維·卡梅倫首相當初搬進唐寧街10號時會選擇我們。”

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 spacious quarters at 11 Downing Street. That house is the official residence of the chancellor of the Exchequer, 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年以來，位於唐寧街10號的房子一直被用作英國首相的官邸，但卡梅倫一家實際上住在更寬敞的唐寧街11號。那座住宅其實是英國財政大臣的官邸。（2010年，財政大臣喬治·奧斯本[George Osborne]選擇繼續住在自己位於倫敦西部諾丁山的住宅內。）