The house where Boris Johnson would like to live 'if I can afford it'

Mr Johnson and his wife Marina have been house-hunting in the New Labour heartland of Islington near the home of Tony Blair's friend Lord Falconer.

He told The Standard: "It is perfectly true that I went to look at a house. If I could afford it I probably would [buy it], but I doubt that I can afford it. These are complicated questions about my personal finances."

The semi-detached house in an Islington conservation area offers an en suite master bedroom and five further bedrooms.

The ground floor contains a generously proportioned drawing room, dining room and reception room. There is also a family-sized kitchen, big enough for a table which could fit the extended Johnson clan, with doors onto the impressive 70ft garden.

The house comes with a single garage, but off-street parking would allow plenty of space for the family bikes.

In the basement there is a self-contained flat, perfect for a nanny or a visiting grandfather the family might want to keep at arms' length.

The location is not far away from the Johnsons' present family home, so they would already be familiar with the local amenities and the public transport links. The couple would be climbing the property ladder if they bought the house as its £2.9 million price tag dwarfs the estimated £1 million their present home is worth.

It is owned by a university academic who until recently was a staunch Labour supporter and remains friends with a host of senior Labour politicians.

"Boris is keen to move to a larger house without disrupting his children's schooling," said a friend.

"This home is nearer to the London Assembly, so he will be able to cycle there in 20 minutes."

Former mayor Ken Livingstone lived in a more modest terraced property in Cricklewood with his partner and two youngest children.