Asked this morning whether her seeming change of heart on a no-deal Brexit was an “elegant pivot to reality or a screaming careerist u-turn” Hastings MP Amber Rudd said she hoped it was the first.

Appearing on the Andrew Marr Show on BBC 1 this morning Ms Rudd said she defied the government whip in March to win more time to explore more options for securing a deal to leave the European Union. She went on to say that she still feels that a no deal Brexit would be: “…bad for the economy, bad for security and bad for the union.” However she now accepts that the option of a no-deal should be part of the leverage that the UK can use in its negotiations with the EU.

Asked by Marr whether she still believed that a second referendum was preferable to a no-deal exit she said she no longer did because: “… we have run out of options.”

Ms Rudd looked less relaxed than she usually does when appearing on TV. The 12 minute interview ranged over many issues and throughout she made her support for Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt very clear, refusing to answer questions on whether or not she believed she could work effectively in a government headed by Boris Johnston.

She said: “I’m fighting for a cabinet for Jeremy Hunt and while that is still possible I’m not going to speculate on the alternative.”

She also told Marr a new Prime Minister should not be concentrating on tax cuts for the well paid and instead should help people at the lower end of the income scale. She wants to see an increase in the living wage and believes people on lower incomes should be able to keep more of their money.

Ms Rudd also discussed planning that is underway in her own department in preparation for Brexit, asked whether her career was still on the up she said: “I don’t know” but assured Marr that she was committed to her current role as Work and Pensions Secretary.

To hear the full interview click this link to Hastings In Focus on Soundcloud