Kent MP Mike Tapp has been sacked from his role as immigration minister following a row over whether he broke the ministerial code.
It comes after the Dover and Deal MP wrote an “unauthorised” article calling for care workers from abroad to be spared from Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood’s tougher settlement rules.
Dover and Deal MP Mike Tapp is reportedly is no longer immigration minister
The Labour politician, who served as minister for migration and citizenship, reiterated his “strong belief” that overseas care workers should not have to wait longer before applying for permanent residency in the UK, in an article for The Times.
However, Ms Mahmood is understood to have been unaware of the article before it was published, pushing Sir Keir Starmer to remove him from his Home Office position.
She is also understood to have limited his access to sensitive ministerial papers without her approval.
In a post on X this evening (July 22), Mr Tapp announced he is no longer the minister for migration and citizenship, where he was “predominantly overseeing our legal migration system.”
He wrote: “For me, service has always meant putting the country first, and I’m proud to have approached the role with that principle at its heart.
“Every decision I made in the Home Office began with my top priority: our national security. Our immigration system is also about people.
I am no longer the Minister for Migration and Citizenship where I was predominantly overseeing our legal migration system.
For me, service has always meant putting the country first, and I’m proud to have approached the role with that principle at its heart.
Every decision I…
— Mike Tapp MP (@MikeTappTweets) July 22, 2026
“That is why compassion must sit alongside firmness, striking the right balance to protect our country, support our economy, and uphold confidence in the system.
“From delivering the massive Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) scheme, to visa pauses and improving the Windrush Compensation Scheme, it has been truly satisfying to play a part in strengthening our immigration system.
“While net migration is falling, there is still much more to do. I will always put my country first and that is why I will continue to bring my experience from my time working at the highest levels of national security to Parliament.
“I am disappointed to be leaving government, but I have no regrets remaining loyal to Keir Starmer until the end. This Labour Government must succeed – for the good of our country.
“I will be working every single day to help deliver for the British people. Thank you to my Private Office and Home Office officials who have worked hard with me to make progress. I wish my successor the very best of luck.”
Last month, Mr Tapp was forced to apologise on X after posting about “attempted intimidation” and having “seen off the Taliban” and “taken out terrorists” in reference to his former career in the military.
Mike Tapp MP served as minister for migration and citizenship. Picture: Facebook
He later deleted the post, and said at the time: “Earlier today, I wrote a poorly judged tweet referencing previous experiences in my professional life.
“I realised very quickly that it could be misinterpreted and so I deleted it immediately. I apologise wholeheartedly for any offence I may have caused.
“I have a lot of respect for the Home Secretary and will continue working hard for our country.”
KentOnline previously reported that Sir Keir was “taking advice” on whether or not Mr Tapp broke the ministerial code by writing the piece, as it appeared contrary to the convention of collective responsibility, which means ministers should not have public disputes over official policy.
The row came amid growing pressure over controversial proposals to make migrants already living in the UK wait longer before applying for indefinite leave to remain (ILR).
The status gives people the right to live, work, study and claim benefits in the UK permanently.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood. Picture: Lucy North/PA
Ms Mahmood announced in November that the time most migrants have to wait before qualifying for settlement would double from five to 10 years.
But she also said there would be “transitional arrangements” to ease the impact on about 1.6 million migrants who came to the UK from 2021 onwards under the so-called “Boris wave”.
More than 100 Labour MPs wrote to the Home Secretary earlier this year, urging her not to apply the changes to migrants who are already in the country.
No final decision has been made, with ministers still considering more than 200,000 responses to a consultation.
In his article, Mr Tapp said he had been working with officials to “develop a better approach than a blanket retrospective extension from five years to 10 years for everyone”.
He wrote: “It is my strong belief that those who have come to the United Kingdom on care worker visas who have played by the rules and have genuinely contributed to our care system should not be required to wait longer to apply for settlement.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham. Picture: Toby Melville/PA
“That is the issue I am working hard to address.”
Mr Tapp said any exemption would apply to those who came to the UK through the health and care visa route.
Some 616,266 visas were issued through the route between 2022 and 2024, with more than half granted to family members of workers, known as dependants.
Analysis by the Home Office and Migration Advisory Committee estimates about 200,000 care workers and their dependants will apply for permanent settlement by 2030 if the five-year route remains unchanged.
The issue is expected to become a major point of contention for Andy Burnham, who has succeeded Sir Keir as the new Labour leader and Prime Minister.
Mr Burnham has previously criticised applying the changes retrospectively, warning it could leave people “in a sense of limbo and unable to integrate”.
However, during his successful by-election campaign in Makerfield, he said he backed the “broad thrust” of Ms Mahmood’s reforms.
Mr Tapp urged Mr Burnham to take his time assessing the policy, warning that “changes in one area can create unintended consequences elsewhere”.
He added: “That is why we are taking the necessary time to fully develop these reforms, assess their impacts, and ensure that the policies we implement deliver the outcomes we intend.
“I hope to provide further updates in the autumn as this work progresses.”