Boris Johnson says newts are a drag on the UK’s economy. Here’s why he’s wrong

Last week the PM claimed conservation causes construction delays - but newts are not the pantomime villains developers would have us believe

Lingering in the shallows of a south Norfolk pond, voracious amphibians are resting ahead of a night gorging on slugs, worms and insects. The pool network, long grasses and shrubs in Silfield newt reserve are a perfect habitat for the great crested newt - the pantomime villain for housing developers.

The UK's largest newt, which takes its name from the striking, jagged crest that males display in the spring breeding season, is a protected species under British law, thanks to the the EU habitats directive, which the prime minister's father, Stanley Johnson, had a key role in creating. Despite that, its numbers have declined rapidly over the past 60 years.