Leo Varadkar has publicly called for Theresa May to consider staying in the EU customs union after Brexit

Ministers are preparing to rebuff the Irish government and insist on the need for a customs border between the north and south of the island after Brexit.

In a further sign of division between London and Dublin, the government is expected to rule out demands by the Irish prime minister, Leo Varadkar, for ministers to consider alternatives to their current approach to the border.

Mr Varadkar has publicly called for Theresa May to consider staying in the EU customs union after Brexit and Simon Coveney, the foreign minister, has privately urged the London government to consider a new customs border in the Irish Sea to maintain free movement across Ireland itself.

A formal position paper to be published next week by the government is understood