Former London mayor to marry at zoo

Former London mayor Ken Livingstone a keen newt-fancier is to get married at the city’s zoo, he told a newspaper.

Livingstone, 64, told London’s Evening Standard he would tie the knot with Emma Beal, 41, next month and vowed to set the gorillas on any uninvited guests.

Well-known for his love of newts, Livingstone and his long-term partner are will exchange vows in the Mappin Pavilion which houses wallabies and emus and stands next to the reptile house.

Newly-wed couples can choose to have their pictures taken in a range of romantic locations including the Bird Pavilion and the Butterfly House.

“We are getting married and it will be in London Zoo,” said Livingstone, dubbed “Red Ken” for his socialist views.

“It’s not a media event if you try and get in I will set the gorillas on you.

We have been looking to get married for years. We decided to do it when we had time, and this seems to be the ideal period.”Livingstone has five children, including two with Beal, whom he met in 1996.“A wedding can be quite boring for young kids. But they can go and look at the animals.

I know the place I just like it,” he said.

Livingstone was the first mayor of London, but after eight years in office he was ousted in 2008 by Conservative challenger Boris Johnson.

In his first job application he unsuccessfully sought to become a zookeeper, the Evening Standard said.

-AFP