Gove raises doubts over customs plan backed by May

Cabinet tensions over Brexit erupted again when Michael Gove said there were “significant question marks” over the customs partnership option favoured by the Prime Minister.

The remarks came after a plea by Theresa May for unity as she insisted she could be trusted to deliver the Brexit people voted for.

With the Cabinet split over which of two customs models to back, Environment Secretary Mr Gove said neither option being considered was perfect.

Appearing on BBC One’s The Andrew Marr Show yesterday, he was pressed on whether Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson was right to brand the customs partnership option as “crazy”.

Mr Gove said: “Across Government, across Cabinet, there is agreement that neither of these two models is absolutely perfect.

“And with the new customs partnership, Boris pointed out that because it’s novel, because no model like this exists, there have to be significant question marks over the deliverability of it on time.”

Mrs May has set up two Cabinet groups to consider the customs options.

The customs arrangement with the EU that Mr Johnson opposes would see the UK collecting tariffs on behalf of Brussels.

An alternative option called maximum facilitation, known as “Max Fac”, would rely on new technology and trusted trader schemes to get trade to flow smoothly with the EU after Brexit.