Polls: Jo Swinson would tie with Boris Johnson in the event of a pre-Brexit election

The Liberal Democrats under Jo Swinson would tie with a Boris Johnson-led Conservative Party if a general election were held before Brexit, says a new poll.

The poll suggests that Boris Johnson's leadership would not necessarily improve his party's fortunes as much as he might hope, while hinting at confidence in the Lib Dem leadership favourite Swinson's ability to capitalise on her party's surge.

The poll, commissioned for YouGov by Britain Elects, says both a Johnson Tory Party and the Lib Dems would take 23% of the vote in that instance. After this, the Brexit Party are close with 21% and Labour trail behind at 17%.

However, if a general election came after Brexit has happened, the numbers swing in Johnson's favour, putting the Conservative vote at 28% and the Lib Dems at 20%. With the Brexit Party then receiving 14%, it looks like ensuring Brexit happens would help a Johnson Tory Party claw back votes from Farage. Meanwhile, even then, Labour only polls at receiving 17% of the vote.

If this is good news for Johnson's "do or die" vision of Brexit, it's not on account of public trust. Fifty per cent of the 1,680 British adults polled said he'd "promise anything" to be prime minister, while another 50% don't believe either he or Jeremy Hunt is likely to unite the country after Brexit.