Boris Johnson’s attempt to have a 11×4m swimming pool built at his new Cotswold mansion faced issue with planning permission. The area is inhabited by great crested newts, a protected species.
When he was PM Johnson complained that newts were holding up house building schemes in a precursor to the Culture Wars.
Much of the media is bad at historical context so only a few reports of the Johnson Newt stand off have mentioned former London Mayor Ken Livingstone.
Livingstone owned newts from an early age including the great crested variety before it was protected and is a noted expert on them
Perhaps Johnson should hire Red Ken as a newt advisor
Update. Johnson has capitulated and he claims he will create a Newtopia and Newt Motels as his mansion
https://www.politico.eu/article/boris-johnson-newts-ruin-swimming-pool/
Update Two
A survey has found that understandably all great crested newts have fled the Johnson Estate. He can now have his pool provided as agreed with South Oxfordshire Council he plants some trees elsewhere on his land. The sort of compromise Johnson had no knowledge of while in Downing St
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