Brexit: People’s Vote staff walk out over ‘boardroom coup’ after attempts to sack two of its most senior figures

Chairman of Open Britain group in bid to install new acting chief executive in ‘restructure’ of campaign for second Brexit referendum

Staff at the People’s Vote campaign for a second Brexit referendum have staged a walkout after an attempt to sack two of its most senior figures in what they branded a “boardroom coup”.

Director James McGrory and head of communications Tom Baldwin were told to leave in an email to all staff on Sunday evening, which named former Labour head of campaigns Patrick Heneghan as new acting chief executive.

But the pair turned up for work regardless, with Mr Baldwin taking to the airwaves to insist that millionaire businessman Roland Rudd – chair of Open Britain, one of the five organisations which make up the People’s Vote campaign – does not have the power to fire him.

There were chaotic scenes as a planned staff meeting called by Mr Rudd was cancelled, instead he chose to appear on TV to explain his position.

And the official People’s Vote Twitter feed put out a string of messages denouncing Mr Rudd’s move.

The tweets said: “This campaign is not owned by any one person. It belongs to the millions who support us all across the country, from the staff in Millbank and in the field to the volunteers and activists, including the million who marched in London nine days ago.

“Late last night, Roland Rudd, as outgoing chair of Open Britain (one of the founder organisations of the People’s Vote campaign), sent an email to all staff announcing a boardroom coup. This email invited all staff to a meeting this morning, which Roland Rudd cancelled at the last minute, despite promises made. Instead he decided to go on TV.

“The team are not prepared to wait around indefinitely for Roland Rudd to come and provide answers to our questions, so the overwhelming majority of the staff team decided to leave the building together.

“This is a crucial week for the campaign and the country. With everything to play for in our unstinting efforts to secure a People’s Vote, the last thing anyone needs is to be distracted by a few individuals playing boardroom politics. The team are now having a meeting to discuss how the People’s Vote campaign, which we all care passionately about and have dedicated our lives to in recent years, continues to be the largest and most vibrant political movement in the country.”

Mr Baldwin, a former spin doctor to Ed Miliband, said the row stemmed from Mr Rudd’s preference for the campaign to fight openly for the UK to Remain in the EU, rather than to seek to persuade people on both sides of the Brexit battle that a public vote is the best way to settle the issue.

But Mr Rudd said that it was time for People’s Vote to be reconstituted on a “more structured basis” under a single chief executive.

Protesters take to the streets on 19 October to demand a Final Say on Brexit (Getty)

In an email announcing that Mr McGrory and Mr Baldwin were “leaving the organisation with immediate effect,” he said: “Ongoing internal issues in the campaign have been allowed to carry on for too long. We new need a much clearer structure as we move forward.”

Mr Baldwin told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “It’s a curious situation. We are three days before the Brexit deadline with the prospect of crashing into a general election or out of the EU per both. The Liberal Democrats appear to be playing games… they have abandoned their principled support for a People’s Vote.

“Roland Rudd has chosen this time to put a wrecking ball through the campaign… He is making the mistake that a lot of businessmen do when they dabble in politics, which is to think that because they have a certain title on a board, they then own the campaign.

“The People’s Vote campaign belongs to the people, not just to one businessman who is hardly ever seen in the campaign.”

Mr Rudd told Today that there were opportunities for Mr Baldwin to take a different role in the campaign, saying he wanted to have “a proper civilised chat” with him about it.

“This is an absurd argument,” said Mr Rudd – brother of former home secretary Amber Rudd. “Everyone knows perfectly well that we are made up of people who want to Remain.”

He complained that elements in the campaign were undermining the push for a referendum by alienating possible support with attacks on Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and the Liberal Democrats.

“We can’t get involved in these kinds of politics,” said Mr Rudd. “We are making a coalition with people from all parties and it’s not for us to write off any one political party or any leadership.”

He said there was a “real opportunity” this week of having a second referendum attached to Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal.

Mr McGrory released a picture of the People’s Vote staff on social media, with a message to say: “It’s easily the greatest privilege of my professional life to be part of such an amazing team at the People’s Vote campaign. All this fantastic group of dedicated and passionate professionals want to do – and all we’ve ever wanted – is to campaign for and get a People’s Vote.”

The Independent has worked with People’s Vote on its Final Say referendum campaign, including collaborating on staging three demonstrations in central London that were among the largest ever seen in the UK.