Boris bandwagon gets rolling as 100 backers an hour sign up

Clear evidence of Mr Johnson's appeal came when supporters signed up to his mayoral bid at a rate of more than 100 every hour.

A campaign website, backboris.com, recorded 583 pledges of support in its first five and a half hours.

Thousands more have jumped on the Boris bandwagon using the internet social network, Facebook.

Over the past couple of years, 11,509 members have joined a group calling itself The Boris Johnson Appreciation Society, while 1,665 have joined the biggest of 18 different groups calling themselves Boris for Mayor.

An exclusive Standard poll reveals today that in London the maverick Tory MP polls 23 per cent to Mr Livingstone's 32 per cent - with more than a quarter of voters undecided.

The Ciao Surveys poll shows that he would narrow the gap even further as he attracts more second preference votes than Mr Livingstone. The survey, carried out a week ago before Mr Johnson formally declared he would run, found that the former Spectator editor is by far the most popular Conservative candidate and now seems certain to clinch his party's nomination this summer.

In a clear indication that Londoners have an appetite for a high-profile challenger to Mr Livingstone, former BBC director general Greg Dyke came third in the poll with nine per cent, ahead of the Liberal Democrats on six per cent and Big Issue founder John Bird on five per cent.

At the last mayoral election in 2004, Mr Livingstone was re-elected after beating Steve Norris.

Mr Livingstone polled 36 per cent of first preference votes to his Tory rival's 28 per cent. The Labour mayor secured his victory by pulling in many more second preference votes than his rival.

Our poll shows Mr Livingstone would get 10 per cent of second preferences, Mr Johnson 13 per cent and Mr Dyke 16 per cent. The Lib Dems, who have yet to select their candidate, would get 14 per cent, while Mr Bird would attract 11 per cent.

David Cameron is committed to a USstyle primary contest, giving all London voters and not just Tories the chance to choose his candidate.

The survey found that 38 per cent of voters believed Mr Johnson would be the best Conservative candidate.

Mr Norris, who last night declared he was not running, was the only other contender who got into double figures, at just over 10 per cent.

Mr Dyke, who clashed with Tony Blair and Alastair Campbell over the BBC's coverage of the war in Iraq, is still weighing up whether he can win the mayoral race.

He was in talks with Mr Cameron over standing as an independent with Tory and Lib-Dem backing, but the deal collapsed after opposition from Lib-Dem leader Sir Menzies Campbell.

The Johnson campaign team today claimed that the MP's office at the Commons had also been deluged with calls offering support, as had other MPs known to be his friends.

"It is just amazing," said one volunteer. "The phones have not stopped ringing and people are begging to be given a role in the campaign."

The excited buzz after Mr Johnson's launch in yesterday's Evening Standard was being seen by Conservatives as a vindication of his decision to run against Mr Livingstone, even though he could end up losing both his bid for City Hall and his seat in the Commons for Henley.

"I've even been called by Australian television asking for more details about Boris," said one campaign member.

Mr Johnson's capacity for building a fanbase was underlined when 2,087 Facebook members signed up to a tongue-in-cheek group, Boris Johnson for Prime Minister.

Mr Johnson appears to be winning the internet fight and, with it, the battle to appeal to young people who may have little interest in politics normally. A group called Get Ken Out boasts 1,137 members while Get Boris In has 1,591.

Another group called the Ken Livingstone Appreciation Society so far boasts 184 members - though that could soar if the rival supporters' groups begin campaigning in earnest on the internet.

The Mayor is still the best known of the pair. A Google search for Mr Livingstone obtains 1.4 million "hits" while his rival's name brings 983,000.

The poll was carried out by Ciao Surveys for the Evening Standard. It involved 1,000 people living in the London boroughs.