Can I get back to you over the customs union?

Say what you like about Amber Rudd, but she’s not short of self-belief. Yesterday the Home Secretary was summoned to the Commons for her fourth interrogation in two weeks on the Windrush scandal. Once again, Labour MPS told her to resign.

She did not. On the contrary, she said she was the best person for the job.

“I do think,” she said to Tory cheers and Labour disbelief, “that I am the person who can put this right.”

Quite a claim. For almost two years, Ms Rudd has led a department that has been threatening to deport people who have lived legally in the UK for decades. What’s more, on Wednesday she denied her officials were set immigrant removal targets – before conceding yesterday that they were (“I was not aware of them”).

There are two possibilities: Ms Rudd knew what was going on in her department, in which case she should go; or she hadn’t a clue what was going on in her department, in which case she should go.

She did not. Imagine if everyone had the same faith in their abilities.

“Ah, Mr Jenkins, thank you for applying for this job. I must inform you that, as there were an unusual number of gaps in your CV, we ran a check on you. We were somewhat taken aback to learn that you are a career criminal – armed robbery, extortion, battery, fraud, arson, witness intimidation, assaulting a police officer, and perjury.”

“That’s right, sir.” “And yet you have applied to be the Commissioner of the Met Police.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I see. Much as we support the rehabilitation of criminals, Mr Jenkins, don’t you feel that your record somewhat disqualifies you from this particular role?”

“Not at all, sir. Quite the opposite. I’m the best man for the job. I can give you a cast-iron guarantee that, under my leadership, crime will fall dramatically.”

“I see, Mr Jenkins. And how will you make it fall dramatically?”

“By stopping committing it, sir.”

Later, Ms Rudd took questions from journalists. She seemed to handle the ones about Windrush quite smoothly. Where she came unstuck was on another issue altogether. Was the UK now more, or less, likely to stay in the customs union?

Startlingly – given Mrs May’s stated policy is to leave – Ms Rudd said she wasn’t “going to be drawn”, because there were still “a few discussions to be had among some of my Cabinet colleagues”.

She later hastily tweeted that she “should have been clearer”. What she had meant was: “Of course we will be leaving the customs union.”

Best person for the job.