Boris Johnson has announced that he will be building a hotel for newts - aka Bibby Newtholm - alongside a pond at his Brightwell Manor Oxfordshire mansion.

The Bibby Newtholm will only be used to provide temporary accommodation for newts visiting the area such as the Great Crested Tiranian and Son-Gat Spotted newts.

The hotel will be interior designed and decorated by Mr Johnson's wife Carrie - the world-famous wallpaperer.

Mr Johnson wrote in The Daily Mail:

If it turns out that our garden is so honoured and so fortunate as to be the home of some newts - great crested, ­palmate, whatever - I want you to know that I will do whatever it takes to protect them.

If we have to build little newt motels to house them in their trips past the swimming pool, then we will. If we have to create whole newt-friendly bunds to stop them falling in, we will.

We will excavate new ponds in which they can breed. We will make a Newtopia!

A spokesperson for big-time Newt-fan and former London Mayor, Ken Livingstone, told FNN:

This is just another Tory trick and most likely all the Newts will end up in Rwanda, where they will be at risk of being eaten with some fava beans and a nice Chianti.