Steve Bannon kicked off his grand European project with a sumptuous spread in Brown’s Hotel; but indigestion soon set in

It was a secret gathering of the far right – in the heart of Mayfair. Steve Bannon had invited rightwing, populist politicians from London to relay his “pitch”. He would unite their parties, and give their campaigns “more sophistication” in the run-up to the European parliamentary elections in May 2019.

“The dinner went from six o’clock till after midnight,” Donald Trump’s former strategist said after the gathering in July. The response to his proposal, he said, was unequivocally positive. “One hundred and fifty per cent – to a person – buy-in.”

The Guardian has tracked down several other figures Bannon persuaded to join him at his London hotel over two days in mid-July. Only one has managed to convince their party to sign up to the Brussels-based group the Movement: Mischaël Modrikamen, the same Belgian former corporate lawyer who registered the organisation.

The other known attendees of Bannon’s summit come from parties who have ruled out accepting his help – or signalled they have mixed feelings about the merits of doing so.

Filip Dewinter, the leader of another Belgian far-right party, who sat next to Bannon, recalls how he told tales from the 2016 US presidential election, before explaining how he wanted to bring together the rightwing, populist parties in Europe.

Dewinter is the ex-leader of the Flemish nationalist party previously called Vlaams Blok. It was forced to change its name to Vlaams Belang in 2004, after a court ruled it was a discriminatory party and banned it from fielding candidates.

Dewinter is a controversial figure in Belgium, where he once clashed with police while trying to commemorate the graves of 38 SS collaborators. More recently, he gave a speech to the Greek neo-Nazi party Golden Dawn. “He’s a very clever man,” Dewinter said of Bannon. “He’s also a very funny guy.”

Other guests over the weekend included the former Ukip leader Nigel Farage, the Republican congressman Paul Gosar whose ultra-conservative agenda recently prompted six of his brothers and sisters to release an ad urging Arizonans not to vote for him.

Play Video 26:36 How Steve Bannon's far-right 'Movement' stalled in Europe – video

In addition to Modrikamen and Dewinter – rivals in Belgium, and invited to separate meals – the European contingent included Jérôme Rivière, from France’s National Front (now rebranded National Rally).

Rivière appeared to knock down Bannon’s European project after his visit to London. His party leader, Marine Le Pen, has since expressed unease at US interference in her election – although her party has left the door open to receiving help.

Also present at the meeting was Kent Ekeroth, who in recent months has been frozen out of his far-right Sweden Democrats party. He is known in Sweden for becoming embroiled in a scuffle in Stockholm in which he filmed himself brandishing an iron pipe.

Days after meeting Ekeroth, Bannon told the Guardian the Swede would also be able to open doors in Hungary, saying he had moved to Budapest and become “very close to [Viktor] Orbán”. Ekeroth, who lives near Stockholm, said he did not really know anyone of influence in Orbán’s orbit, although he did meet “one of them a few years ago”.

When the Sweden Democrats found out Ekeroth had met Bannon, the party distanced itself from both men. “We do not follow Steve Bannon’s political work,” it said. “He is not an interesting person for us.”

He and Dewinter were invited to London by Raheem Kassam, a former aide to Farage and former editor of Breitbart UK. After the London gathering, Kassam predicted that all rightwing populist parties would take Bannon up on his offer of help. “I don’t think, when they see how this comes together, any of them will turn it down,” he said. “It’s going to be too good an opportunity.”