9 Downing Street is one of the buildings situated on

Downing Street Downing Street is a street in Westminster in London that houses the official residences and offices of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Situated off Whitehall, it is long, and a few minutes' walk ...

in the City of Westminster in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. It has been used as a separate address to the better known 10 Downing Street since 2001 for various government functions.

History

The building was previously part of the more famous 10 Downing Street, which has been the official residence of the

First Lord of the Treasury The first lord of the Treasury is the head of the Lords Commissioners of the Treasury exercising the ancient office of Lord High Treasurer in the United Kingdom, and is by convention also the prime minister. This office is not equivalent to the ...

since 1732. This is normally the

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister advises the sovereign on the exercise of much of the royal prerogative, chairs the Cabinet and selects its ministers. As modern ...

. Many internal refurbishments over the years have altered the interior of 10 Downing Street, 11 Downing Street and 12 Downing Street to the point that they are all part of a single complex. It was part of a reorganisation in 2001 that the number 9 address was created. The

Judicial Committee of the Privy Council The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC) is the highest court of appeal for the Crown Dependencies, the British Overseas Territories, some Commonwealth countries and a few institutions in the United Kingdom. Established on 14 Aug ...

was based at 9 Downing Street until August 2009, when it moved to

Middlesex Guildhall The Middlesex Guildhall is the home of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom and of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council. It stands on the south-west corner of Parliament Square in London. It is a Grade II* listed building. Constructe ...

with the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom. It subsequently housed the offices of the Chief Whip, though their official address remained No. 12. From 2016 until 2020 the building was used to house the

Department for Exiting the European Union The Department for Exiting the European Union (DExEU; also known as the Department for Brexit or Brexit Department) was a department of the Government of the United Kingdom responsible for overseeing negotiations relating to Brexit, and establi ...

. In January 2020, the government began hosting lobby briefings at 9 Downing Street instead of the traditional location in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. T ...

. The move was criticised by journalists. That year the building began undergoing a £2.6-million refurbishment in preparation for televised press briefings to be held. The

Downing Street Press Briefing Room The Downing Street Press Briefing Room is a news media room located in 9 Downing Street where press conferences are hosted by the Prime Minister, Cabinet ministers, and government officials. The Prime Minister also uses the room to give ministe ...

is located in No. 9; the first press conferences were held by

Boris Johnson Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (; born 19 June 1964) is a British politician, writer and journalist who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He previously served as F ...

in March 2021.

Cultural references

In the 1980s British satirical show ''

Spitting Image ''Spitting Image'' is a British satirical television puppet show, created by Peter Fluck, Roger Law and Martin Lambie-Nairn. First broadcast in 1984, the series was produced by 'Spitting Image Productions' for Central Independent Television ...

'',

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

is presented as living at 9 Downing Street under the name of Herr Willcocks and offering political assistance to the unaware Prime Minister

Margaret Thatcher Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. She was the first female British prime ...

References

Citations Sources {{coord, 51.5033, -0.1269, region:GB_scale:5000, display=title 9 9 Buildings and structures on Downing Street