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People's Vote campaign in chaos over sacking of senior figures People’s Vote staff walk out over sacking of senior figures
(30 minutes later)
The People’s Vote campaign has descended into open chaos, with its head of communications pledging to turn up for work as usual despite seemingly being sacked by another senior figure. Dozens of staff at People’s Vote have staged a walkout in protest at moves by the PR guru Roland Rudd to force two leading figures out of the organisation, plunging the campaign for a second referendum further into chaos.
Tom Baldwin, who was previously Ed Miliband’s spokesman, was reportedly dismissed on Sunday night along with James McGrory, the director of the campaign, which is pushing for a second Brexit referendum. Patrick Heneghan, a former head of campaigns for the Labour party, has been appointed as acting chief executive. The campaign was in disarray on Monday after James McGrory, the director, and Tom Baldwin, the head of communications, were asked to leave with immediate effect.
The dismissals were undertaken by Roland Rudd, the millionaire PR entrepreneur who chairs Open Britain, another of the five interlinked groups that make up the campaign, which has organised mass marches including one in London earlier this month. Rudd, who is the chairman of Open Britain, one of the organisations that makes up the People’s Vote campaign, sent an email to staffers on Sunday night saying it would be moving on to a “more structured basis”.
But speaking on Monday, Baldwin said Rudd did not have the authority to dismiss anyone. Patrick Heneghan, a former head of campaigns for the Labour party, was then appointed temporarily as acting chief executive of People’s Vote.
“He’s making the mistake that I think a lot of businessmen do when they dabble in politics, which is to think that because they have a certain title and a board they then own the campaign,” Baldwin told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. Rudd told staff he would address a meeting at 9am on Monday but he did not attend after Baldwin and McGrory turned up to work as usual. Instead, he appeared on Sky News to defend the reorganisation and sent Heneghan in his place.
“I’m planning to go into work, because we’ve got quite a busy week ahead.” About 35 staff members working for the various organisations that make up People’s Vote decided to walk out of the office in protest at Rudd’s actions, with only a handful left in the building.
They were told by email that they should take the day off and regroup with Rudd on Tuesday. In an escalation of the tensions, one People’s Vote source said Baldwin and McGrory had then been threatened with legal action for trespass.
Influential figures in the second referendum movement questioned the legitimacy of the sackings. Alastair Campbell, a former Labour spokesman and People’s Vote campaigner, tweeted: “Before people get too excited, a few facts … @RolandRudd is chair of Open Britain. He styles himself as chair of PV but this has never been agreed by all.”
Campbell claimed Rudd did “not have the right” to sack McGrory and Baldwin and appoint Heneghan as interim chief executive.
Stephen Dorrell, the chairman of European Movement UK, another organisation under the People’s Vote umbrella, echoed Campbell in voicing concern about the legitimacy of the firings. He said: “Roland Rudd is chair of Open Britain; the People’s Vote campaign includes European Movement and other partners who were not consulted about untimely management changes in Open Britain.”
The changes follow major disagreements within the People’s Vote campaign that have been developing for months about the movement’s direction and strategy.
Tension has stemmed from Rudd’s desire to move the campaign towards a more pro-remain position, with the campaign directors focusing on winning over soft leave voters and undecided Labour and Conservative members of parliament.
Baldwin, who was previously Ed Miliband’s spokesman, said Rudd did not have the authority to dismiss anyone.
“He’s making the mistake that I think a lot of businessmen do when they dabble in politics, which is to think that because they have a certain title and a board they then own the campaign,” Baldwin said. He said Rudd had made a “grotesque misjudgment” by proceeding with a reorganisation at such a time.
Baldwin added: “The clue’s in the title – People’s Vote campaign belongs to the people, not just one businessman who is hardly ever seen in the campaign. I think he’s been in the office three or four times in the last 18 months. It’s really not for him to tell the campaign what to do.”Baldwin added: “The clue’s in the title – People’s Vote campaign belongs to the people, not just one businessman who is hardly ever seen in the campaign. I think he’s been in the office three or four times in the last 18 months. It’s really not for him to tell the campaign what to do.”
Adding to the confusion, Rudd later appeared to argue that Baldwin had not been sacked, just moved so Heneghan could be the “one person to be in charge”.Adding to the confusion, Rudd later appeared to argue that Baldwin had not been sacked, just moved so Heneghan could be the “one person to be in charge”.
Baldwin “has an opportunity for a different type of role, which is allowing one person to take up the reins and actually lead this thing”, Rudd told Today, saying they “need to have a proper, civilised chat about it”. Baldwin “has an opportunity for a different type of role, which is allowing one person to take up the reins and actually lead this thing”, Rudd told the BBC’s Today programme, saying they “need to have a proper, civilised chat about it”.
Rudd said one issue had been criticism within the campaign of Labour and the Liberal Democrats: “It’s not for us to write off any one particular party or any leadership.”Rudd said one issue had been criticism within the campaign of Labour and the Liberal Democrats: “It’s not for us to write off any one particular party or any leadership.”
The battle follows reports of a power struggle within the organisation, with Rudd forming a new company to oversee a remain campaign in the event of a second referendum. As part of the power struggle, Rudd has formed a new company to oversee a remain campaign in the event of a second referendum, even though parliament is still some way off support for one.
Influential figures in the second referendum movement have also questioned the legitimacy of the sackings. Alastair Campbell, the former Labour spokesman who is a People’s Vote campaigner, tweeted: “Before people get too excited, a few facts … Roland Rudd is chair of Open Britain. He styles himself as chair of PV but this has never been agreed by all.”
Campbell claimed Rudd did not have the right to sack McGrory and Baldwin and appoint Heneghan.
Stephen Dorrell, the chair of European Movement UK, echoed Campbell in voicing concern about the legitimacy of the firings. He tweeted: “Roland Rudd is chair of Open Britain; the People’s Vote campaign includes European Movement and other partners who were not consulted about untimely management changes in Open Britain.”
The changes follow major disagreements within the People’s Vote campaign that have been developing for months about the future of its direction and strategy.
Tension has stemmed from Rudd’s desire to move towards a more pro-remain position, with the campaign directors focusing on winning over soft leave voters and undecided Labour and Conservative members of parliament.
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