The Independent Group for Change has sacked all but one of its members of staff following its poor performance in the European elections, The Sunday Telegraph has learned.

Party bosses confirmed that the group, formerly known as Change UK, had undergone a “restructuring” and now only employs one member of staff, down from ten.

Six of the party’s 11 MPs abandoned the group after a disastrous May European election result in which not a single one of the party’s candidates was elected.

Heidi Allen, Luciana Berger, Gavin Shuker and Angela Smith broke away to form a new co-operative called The Independents, while Chuka Umunna joined the Liberal Democrats.

Sarah Wollaston left Change UK to become an independent MP, but did not join the co-operative, and Anna Soubry, formerly of the Conservative Party, took over as The Independent Group’s leader.

At around the same time, the party changed its name from Change UK, following a dispute with Change.org.

Ms Soubry said the party had “not been structured and organised as it should have been” before she replaced Heidi Allen as leader.

“We’ve had a restructuring,” she said.

“Every party gears up for an election and we had to gear up very, very quickly for the EU elections.