Horror story: Lib Dems would be reduced to just seven MPs if the poll was replicated at the general election

Poll: Lib Dems will be wiped out in 2015

Poll: Lib Dems will be wiped out in 2015

The Liberal Democrats could be left with just seven MPs after 2015, according to a new poll.

The YouGov survey for the Sun suggests the party will be reduced to the status of a fringe political force unless it bolsters its popularity before the general election.

Using data on redrawn boundaries, pollsters asked for the voting intention of 1,524 voters in 46 seats the party would have won and 30 it would have challenged for.

The results put Liberal Democrat support at 24%, down 17 points on their 2010 showing and in third place against Labour and the Tories.

Such a result would result in a bloodbath of high profile Liberal Democrats, with Nick Clegg, Vince Cable and former leaders Sir Menzies Campbell and Charles Kennedy losing their seats.

Ed Davey would be the only Cabinet-level figure to survive. He would be joined by David Laws, Norman Lamb, Don Foster, Mark Williams, Bob Russell and Alistair Carmichael.

Labour leads the poll by 31% to the Tories' 28%, but the Conservatives would still end with 21 seats to Labour's 18.