Inside today’s explosive crisis meeting as People’s Vote campaign disintegrates – live reports

The campaign for a second referendum on Brexit descended into open warfare between leading Remainers this morning at a series of explosive private meetings at Westminster.

The alleged chairman of People’s Vote, PR man Roland Rudd, fired two of the key figures in the organisation at the weekend over disagreements on strategy. That decision set up a crunch encounter on Monday morning that quickly turned acrimonious.

Rudd and Patrick Henaghan, former head of Labour campaigns, turned up this morning to “take back control” of the referendum campaign, but were quickly embroiled in fraught discussions with activists in the café at 30 Millbank, downstairs from where the People’s Vote organisation and a range of sister organisations are based.

Worried activists and campaign staff pressed Rudd to explain what was going on – “Thanks for coming in to explain everything to us,” one of the activists told him. Rudd attempted to spin the firing of Communications director Tom Baldwin and strategist James McGrory as a reordering of the campaign’s focus.

Rudd attempted to send the confused activists on their way in cheery fashion: “Onwards and upwards,” he said. The activists then left the café.

Rudd, Henaghan and allies then stayed to discuss what to do next about getting into their office. Baldwin and McGrory are refusing to go, claiming that Rudd is not really the chairman.

In the café, sources reveal, Henaghan and Rudd debated what to do about Baldwin and McGrory and the situation in the office upstairs. Rudd said: “There is no Tom; there is no James.”

Heneghan said: “Tom and James are not in the room. Francis [Francis Grove-White, Deputy Director of Open Britain] is there.”

Rudd: “Are they upstairs?”

Another ally of Rudd’s claimed: “They’re not here. They’re not in the building.”

Henaghan confirmed this: “No, they’re not in the office.”

One of their associates then brought up the question of security: “Who is the head of security? I think you need to speak to head of security. Have you cancelled their passes?”

The meeting broke up and the combatants waited in the lobby. Meanwhile, People’s Vote sources said that activists had gathered on the first floor.

Henaghan then went upstairs to face the music. One of those involved told of a massive row, resting on complaints that Rudd had locked them out of their offices and potentially informed security about them (or at the very least Baldwin and Mcgrory). “We’re hardly a rabble,” an insider said, clearly angry about the security arrangements.

Henaghan claims that he didn’t know why the situation had come about, according to a People’s Vote staffer. One insider said he was branded a disgrace and “Roland’s lackey”.

There have been suggestions that one of the campaign staff attempted to video the meeting – but Henaghan objected. There were further recriminations, because staff say they were informed about firings via emails sent late last night.

The row today is the culmination of a desperate battle for control of People’s Vote as the possibility of a second referendum appears to diminish.

Ironically, Millbank Tower – where Rudd met staff in the public Cafe downstairs – was the scene of New Labour’s election triumph in 1997, when Blair, Brown, Mandelson, Campbell and their teams powered the party to a landslide over the Tories. Back then the main characters buried their differences until after that victory. Loyalty and unity was all.

In contrast, People’s Vote has descended into bitter splits and public feuding before it has achieved its aim. There is a divide over whether or not they should restrict their campaign to securing a second referendum or whether they should campaign now to reverse Brexit entirely.

People’s Vote supporters and Remainer grandee Campbell and Mandelson insist that it should focus on securing a referendum and persuading former leave voters one stage at a time. Rudd and some of the extremely wealthy but politically inexperienced and over-confident donors and campaigners say People’s Vote should become the full-blown Remain campaign.

Comparisons have been drawn with the “People’s Front of Judea” scene in Monty Python’s Life of Brian film, in which guerrillas argue and divide into increasingly small and irrelevant sub-sects.