Mayor agrees to be sprayed by water cannon to prove it’s safe

London Mayor Boris Johnson has offered to be sprayed by water cannon in order to demonstrate that they are safe.

Mr Johnson denied “playing politics” by purchasing the riot control equipment before its use on the streets of mainland Britain has been approved by Home Secretary Theresa May.

Mr Johnson and Ms May have been identified in polls as leading rivals to succeed David Cameron as Conservative leader, but the mayor insisted his decision was not an act of defiance to the Home Secretary at a time when she has been embroiled in a public row over extremism in schools.