Jacob Rees-Mogg defends raising claims of Brexit 'conspiracy'

Mr Rees-Mogg asked Brexit minister Steve Baker in the Commons to confirm if he had been told about allegations that civil servants were trying to get ministers to back staying in the EU's customs union. ...The Centre for European Reform's Charles Grant, who was alleged to have been the source of the claim at a Tory party conference event last year, denied making it.

He said: "I did not say or imply that the Treasury had deliberately developed a model to show that all non-customs union options were bad, with the intention to influence policy." The row puts pressure on the Government, as Number 10 had earlier backed Mr Baker. A spokesman for the Prime Minister said Downing Street had "no reason to question his account". After Prospect magazine, which hosted the event in question, released audio which showed Mr Grant did not make the comments, Mr Baker backtracked in a series of tweets.