Australian Liberal Party strategist to run Boris Johnson's election campaign

London: One of the Liberal Party's election-winning strategists and Lynton Crosby's right-hand man is joining Boris Johnson's team, overseeing the new Prime Minister's political machine.

Liberal campaign deputy director Isaac Levido, left, watches as Liberal MP Marise Payne speaks.Credit: Scott Cadzow

Isaac Levido quit his job as deputy director of the Liberal Party on Friday and will begin work to put the Conservative Party on a war-footing, in yet another sign Britain could go to the polls, possibly before Brexit is due on October 31.

The 35-year-old Australian, a protege of veteran campaigner Sir Lynton, has a unique role, overseeing the government's political strategy and campaigning not just from Downing Street but also from party headquarters known as CCHQ.

His official title will be Director of Politics and Campaigning, and he has been given full authority by Vote Leave mastermind and Johnson's top adviser Dominic Cummings to prepare the party's machine. His appointment was first reported by Politico's Playbook newsletter.

Levido worked on David Cameron's successful campaign in 2015, entering CCHQ alongside Crosby and the pair departed together on the final day of the campaign.  His appointment signals a wider redemption for firm Crosby Textor which had suffered badly in the UK and in Australia in the fallout from Theresa May and Malcolm Turnbull's poor campaigns in 2017 and 2016 respectively.

But that has changed this year, beginning with the Coalition's upset win in May. The Liberals' widely-praised campaign relied heavily on Crosby Textor talent, including its Australian-based number-cruncher Michael Turner and London-based lead pollster Michael Brooks, who flew in to work from party headquarters in Brisbane.

But Johnson's ascent to the job last month has sealed the firm's revival and restored its influence in the Tory party and in Britain.

Crosby is a close friend of Johnson's and is widely reported to have been unofficially advising him during the leadership campaign. Mark Fullbrook, the third partner in the firm alongside Mark Textor, oversaw Johnson's campaign to win over the Tory party members who ultimately determined the leadership.

Last year, James Cleverly, now the Conservative Party's chairman talked down Crosby Textor's future role in the party in an interview with The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. But with Levido at the helm in CCHQ, it is now likely the Tory party will re-engage Crosby Textor to conduct its polling.

Levido opened Crosby Textor's Washington office and ran it for 12 months until November 2017, when he joined the Liberal party under new federal director Andrew Hirst as one of two deputies, alongside Simon Berger.

The trio ran the Coalition's shock victorious campaign, combining Scott Morrison's campaigning skills with a centralised message about Bill Shorten being a risk to the economy, backed by a huge digital presence and outdoor advertising spend.