Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is preparing to dismiss Migration Minister Mike Tapp following a breach of the ministerial code. Tapp published an unauthorised article in The Times that challenged the government’s planned immigration reforms.
Mike Tapp, the MP for Dover and Deal, wrote the article without official clearance. In the piece, he argued that migrant care workers should receive a special exemption from the new rules on permanent settlement. This position openly contradicted Mahmood’s proposed immigration overhaul.
The article pushed for faster settlement rights for migrant care workers, opposing the official government policy and revealing internal government discussions. Publishing unpublished government policy ideas without permission violates collective cabinet responsibility and the ministerial code.
Insiders have emphasised that Tapp’s actions crossed a clear line, undermining the Home Secretary and her team’s carefully managed reforms. The breach has raised concerns about government stability during a sensitive period.
The sacking comes as Mahmood leads a major overhaul of the immigration system and the Labour Party undergoes leadership changes following Sir Keir Starmer’s resignation. This incident risks adding to political instability.
A Whitehall source told reporters, “Mike Tapp is expected to be sacked for breaching the ministerial code. He has taken possible ideas that the Home Secretary and her team were working on and briefed them as his own to try to win a job in the new administration.”
Originally published by UKNIP.
