The People’s Vote campaign has been in turmoil for weeks

The chief executive of the People’s Vote campaign has stepped down pending an investigation into allegations of sexual harassment made by three female staff, marking a possible end to a civil war during which dozens of staff have gone on strike.

Patrick Heneghan, Labour’s former elections chief, was appointed less than a fortnight ago as part of a “boardroom coup” in which two directors at the organisation were sacked, triggering a walkout.

Roland Rudd, the campaign’s multimillionaire chairman, faced pressure to act after female staff wrote a letter saying they did not “feel safe returning to work whilst [Mr Heneghan] is in a position of power and authority”. He took the decision after whistleblowers gave evidence to The Sunday Times stating that Mr Heneghan had