Britain's biggest campaign for a second Brexit referendum is in open warfare after a sacked chief launched a blistering attack and vowed to come into work anyway.

Tom Baldwin, Director of Communications for People's Vote, accused outgoing chairman Roland Rudd of taking a "wrecking ball" to the campaign after he announced Mr Baldwin and executive director James McGrory would be "leaving the organisation with immediate effect".

A source said board members of parent group Open Britain voted 7-3 yesterday to oust the pair over "long-standing management and personality issues".

There was also a split over whether to push only for a 'final say' on Brexit – the approach backed by Mr Baldwin – or Mr Rudd's desire to come out for Remain.

Today defiant Mr Baldwin, an ex-spokesman for Ed Miliband, said Mr Rudd was "making a mistake" and claimed he only came into the office "three or four times" in 18 months.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "He technically controls my contract but he didn’t appoint me, he doesn’t pay me. 

“Roland Rudd has told me not to go into work today but the thing is, I don’t work for Roland Rudd.

"I’m planning to go into work because we’ve got actually quite a busy week ahead.

"It doesn’t seem to be the best week to be putting a wrecking ball through the campaign, demoralising staff and demoralising all the thousands and thousands of activists paying for our campaign."

The clash risks a dramatic showdown at People's Vote's HQ in Westminster's Millbank Tower this morning if the ousted pair try to get back into the building.

It is understood their passes have been deactivated and the pair will be given notice that they are trespassing if they refuse to budge.

"They'll have time to clear their desks but if they refuse to leave, security will be called," a source at the organisation claimed.

The public attack is the culmination of months of internal wrangling among five linked organisations calling for a 'People's Vote'.

They have helped thrust the idea of a second referendum into the public debate and organised what they claimed was a million-strong march on London this month.

But there are splits over how to approach the Brexit issue – with some not wanting to come out fully for Remain, despite most People's Vote staff backing staying in the EU.

Mr McGrory, a former Lib Dem spinner who worked on the Remain campaign in 2016, was one of 12 board members at Open Britain Limited.

A source suggested three board members voted against ousting him and Mr Baldwin – Will Straw, Joseph Carberry and Labour peer Lord Mandelson.

The vote is thought to have happened by e-mail with no face-to-face meeting.

It is thought Patrick Heneghan, a former director in the Labour Party, has been made the acting chief executive.

Roland Rudd is a PR supremo and the brother of Tory former Cabinet minister Amber.

Today Mr Rudd said Mr Baldwin could be offered "a different kind of role" but insisted: “There’s no row about where we stand. We all want another vote.”

He added: "Everyone knows perfectly well that we’re made up of people who want to Remain."

But Remainer and former Tony Blair spin doctor Alastair Campbell said: "Those letters sent to staff last night saying the campaign director and comms Director have been fired must be forgeries then.

"Likewise the instruction to security not to let them in building today must have been imagined.

"He rightly said we are in touching distance of getting a confirmatory referendum. Hence the madness of a deliberate act of sabotage and destabilisation at this time of all times.

"After his rare visit to the building today it is to be hoped those actually working for a second referendum rather than talking about it to their business pals (none of whom have made donations for months) can get on with their jobs and put this silly episode behind us."

Mr Baldwin told the BBC: "It’s a curious situation. We are here three days before the Brexit deadline with the prospect of crashing into a general election or crashing out of Europe or both.

“The Liberal Democrats appear to be playing some rather strange games with the People's Vote campaign at the moment and playing games over a general election.

“Roland Rudd has chosen this time to put a wrecking ball really through the campaign.

"It’s not about me, it’s certainly not about him. The People’s Vote campaign is five different organisations – he’s the non executive chairman of one, the outgoing non executive chairman of one.

"He’s making a 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 on a board that they then own the campaign."

He added: "The People’s Vote campaign belongs to the people, not just one businessman who’s hardly ever seen in the campaign, I think he’s been in offices like three or four times in the past 18 months.

"It’s really not for him to tell the campaign what to do I’m afraid."

Boris Johnson's Brexit deal explained

Boris Johnson finally agreed a Brexit deal with the EU on 17 October 2019, though it still needs approval by MPs and is now on ice.

The 64-page list of amendments keeps a transition period up to 31 December 2020 and the £39bn divorce bill. But it scraps the Irish backstop, an insurance policy designed at preventing a hard border between Northern Ireland the Republic.

In the backstop's place would effectively be 'two borders' in a hybrid system:

Northern Ireland and the Republic would share some EU single market rules – forcing checks on manufactured and agricultural products crossing the Irish Sea.

The Northern Ireland Assembly – known as Stormont – will get a vote every four years on whether to let EU law continue. But this vote could be passed by a simple majority – denying the DUP a veto on staying under EU laws long-term.

Meanwhile commitments on workers' rights are deprioritised – moved to the non-legally-binding Political Declaration for agreement later.

For a full explainer click here.

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