In reaching out to voters, politicians will clutch at anything that might create a rapport with their audience. And so it was when Ken Livingstone visited the White Eagle Club, the largest Polish community centre in south London.

Addressing an audience of Poles and Britons of Polish origin, the London mayor said he often walked past the centre on his way to a pet shop to buy newts and salamanders. The connection raises a smile from those familiar with the mayor’s affection for the reptiles – and looks of bemusement from the rest.