Thread by @paulwaugh

PM meeting with rebels - latest intel from rebel camp: Hammond said EU cannot apply conditions to any extension "according to law". He added that was confirmed in conversations he had with EU officials *when he was in office*.

But intel from govt source re the rebel meeting. Says of Hammond: "He explicitly mentioned EU legal services and their advice on this bill. The very clear implication from his comments was that his involvement in drafting the bill had been done in conjunction with the Commission"

"He then corrected himself very quickly and said 'this is the advice I've had from my lawyers'."
Did Hammond misspeak? Or let cat out of bag of contacts with Brussels?

Apparently Hammond was among 'two or three' 'irreconcilables' in the meeting, govt says. But others among the 15-strong group were either open to persuasion on both the emergency motion and/or the extension bill.

Source close to the rebels categorically denies that EU advised on bill. So maybe Hammond did misspeak