Who lives at 11 Downing Street?
THE homes of Britain's leading politicians reside in Downing Street.
Number 11 Downing Street, otherwise referred to as Number 11, is the official residence of Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer.
Who lives at 11 Downing Street?
The residence was built alongside the official residence of the Prime Minister at Number 10 in 1682.
The first Chancellor to live there was Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice in 1806, but Number 11 did not become the Chancellor's official residence until 1828.
Tony Blair
Most read in UK News
When Tony Blair became Prime Minister in 1997 he chose to reside in Number 11, rather than Number 10, as it has a larger living area.
Blair at that time was living with his wife and their several young children, while Gordon Brown, his Chancellor of the Exchequer, was at that point still a bachelor.
Gordon Brown
In 2007, when Brown became Prime Minister, he at first chose to live in Number 11, but soon moved back to Number 10.
David Cameron
Following the 2010 general election, the incoming prime minister, David Cameron, moved into 11, instead of 10 Downing Street, because George Osborne chose to remain in his Notting Hill home.
In early August 2011, Osborne moved into Number 10.
Theresa May
From 2016, Theresa May decided to reside at Number 11 due to its larger living space.
Sajid Javid
Before he resigned in February 2020, Chancellor of the Exchequer Sajid Javid resided in Number 11 alongside Prime Minister Boris Johnson in Number 10.
In March 2020, Boris Johnson refurbished the residential apartment at Number 11.
But the refurbishment became the subject of controversy when allegations were made in the press as to whether an undisclosed loan was used to initially help finance it.
An Electoral Commission inquiry found that the Conservative Party had not accurately reported donations to the party and imposed a £17,800 fine on them.
The commission also said that the full cost of the works had been repaid in full in March 2021.
The Conservative Party had said at the time that the Prime Minister had met the full cost of the works.
Although Rishi Sunak is the current Chancellor of the Exchequer and should traditionally reside at Number 11, he lives with his wife and their two children in a property in Kensington, west London, a short distance away from Downing Street.
Who is allowed to live at 11 Downing Street?
Although the residence is reserved for the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the sitting Prime Minister is allowed to occupy the flat.
A number of recent Prime Ministers have decided to do so.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
How many rooms are there at 11 Downing Street?
In the main part of Number 11, the building features a hallway, sitting room and study, dining room, a drawing room and a staircase.
The hallway features a grandfather clock and marble fireplace as well as portraits of two political giants, former prime ministers William Gladstone and Benjamin Disraeli.