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, which challenged the government’s immigration reforms.
In the article, Mike Tapp, MP for Dover and Deal, argued that migrant care workers should receive a special exemption from the new rules on permanent settlement. This position contradicted the official government policy and Mahmood’s planned immigration overhaul.
Tapp wrote the piece without obtaining clearance, openly opposing the Home Secretary’s approach and revealing internal government discussions. Publishing unpublished government policy ideas without permission breaches the principles of collective cabinet responsibility and the ministerial code.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. This breach has prompted Mahmood to consider his dismissal.
The sacking comes at a sensitive time for the government. Mahmood is leading a major overhaul of the immigration system, while the Labour Party is undergoing leadership changes following Sir Keir Starmer’s resignation. The incident threatens to add 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.
