Brexit latest: Home secretary Amber Rudd says government is still having discussions over “final position” on customs union

The government has admitted it will be dropping one of the two formal positions on future customs arrangements with the EU, after Amber Rudd told journalists the “final position” had not been nailed down.

Speaking at a press gallery lunch while backbench MPs debated the virtues of the customs union, the embattled home secretary said: “We still have a few discussions to be had in a really positive, consensual, easy way amongst some of my Cabinet colleagues in order to arrive at a final position.”

Rudd later tweeted clarifying her remarks, stressing that there was no change to the government’s position that the UK would be leaving the existing customs union – although the idea that the UK could then form a new customs union with the EU was not addressed.

Thanks to the Press Gallery for hosting me at a challenging yet enjoyable lunch. I should have been clearer – of course when we leave the EU we will be leaving the customs union. I wasn’t going to get into ongoing cabinet discussions about our future trading relationship.— Amber Rudd MP (@AmberRuddHR) April 26, 2018

But her clarification did not convince Tory backbencher Peter Bone, who attended the lunch. He later tweeted he “could not understand why Amber Rudd did not support government policy to leave the Customs Union”.

“We cannot have Home Sec not supporting this key plank of Brexit,” he added.

At the press gallery lunch today, could not understand why Amber Rudd did not support government policy to leave the Customs Union. We cannot have Home Sec not supporting this key plank of Brexit!— Peter Bone MP (@PeterBoneUK) April 26, 2018

A Number 10 spokesman said: “The government is absolutely clear and without ambiguity that we are leaving the customs union and we are not joining a customs union.”

However, he added that ministers will be discussing “which of the two customs options, which we’ve put forward [in Theresa May’s Mansion House speech], the government opts for… you can expect us to move forward with a single option.”

The spokesman declined to put a timescale on an announcement, saying only it would be after “a full discussion on it and the government has taken a decision”.

The options on the table are either a “customs partnership”, derided by Jacob Rees-Mogg this week as “completely cretinous” – or a highly streamlined arrangement based around technology.

Earlier in the day, Remainers had privately indicated that the government was aware it was in an increasingly weak position and would not be able to prevent future amendments overturning its stated position, which is that the UK will not be a member of ‘the’ current customs union or ‘a’ yet-to-be-established one.

One Tory source said: “We know we’ve got the numbers. The chief whip has told Number 10 he can’t win it. That’s why the bills have been pushed back [into the autumn].

“Businesses have been speaking to their MPs and it’s having the effect we suspected it would have,” the MP added. “There is a new hardcore.”

Today’s debate, which was brought by senior backbenchers including Yvette Cooper and Tories Nicky Morgan, Bob Neill and Sarah Wollaston, is not expected to result in a vote, which would be non-binding in any case.

But the future Trade Bill and Cross-Border Trade Bill are both facing cross-party amendments which could force the government’s hand by adding a clause insisting the government include as an objective the creation of a customs union after the UK leaves the EU.

These amendments have been signed by Tory MPs including Stephen Hammond, Anna Soubry and Ken Clarke, as well as Labour’s Chuka Umunna and Chris Leslie.