Clowns against Congestion Charge demo at City Hall

Boris Johnson has often been accused of being a clown – now the Tory mayoral hopeful has been endorsed by some of London's biggest clowns.

Martin 'Zippo' Burton and fellow artistes staged a 'Back Brother Boris' demonstration outside City Hall after casting his vote in West London on Thursday morning.

"As London's biggest touring circus, we have suffered financially under the introduction of Ken's congestion charge," says Martin Burton.

"We move the circus with lorries every week for 30 weeks a year, often through the centre of London and the charges have hit us hard. Now Ken Livingstone has designated Greater London as a low emission zone (LEZ), meaning we will be charged tens of thousands more every year.

"It's another blow to the circus industry and yet another stealth tax."