Why pro-Boris polls, funded by pro-Boris fans, are cause for concern

Let’s count the ways that the predicted return of Johnson could never happen – and why the proliferation of polls funded by influential rich people that suggest it should not be trusted, writes Sean O’Grady

An opinion poll funded by Judith McAlpine, a wealthy Conservative activist, suggested Boris Johnson would be the most electable replacement for Rishi Sunak as party leader (Getty)

Public opinion polls, rather like guns, are powerful weapons which, in the wrong hands or used with insufficient care, can cause more harm than good. If you don’t know what you’re doing, they’re best avoided.

So it is with two recent polls funded by wealthy supporters of Boris Johnson that just happen to purport to show that the Tories would do much better if they replaced Rishi Sunak with Johnson, a view that just happens to echo the views of the newspaper that published the results – and, oh yes, I nearly forgot, used to employ Johnson.

The latest is one funded by Judith McAlpine, a wealthy Conservative activist, who wanted to know the views of people who voted Conservative in 2019.