Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has rejected a request from Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood to dismiss immigration minister Mike Tapp after a dispute over an unauthorised newspaper article on government immigration policy.
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The disagreement arose after Tapp wrote an opinion article for The Times arguing that foreign care workers should be exempt from proposed changes to visa settlement rules affecting migrants already living in the UK.
A Home Office source said Mahmood viewed the article as unauthorised "freelancing on policy" and believed it breached both collective responsibility and the Ministerial Code. She asked Starmer to remove her junior minister from government.
PM backs both ministers
However, Downing Street rejected that request, saying it is solely the prime minister's responsibility to determine whether the Ministerial Code has been breached. A spokesperson said Tapp had instead been reminded of his obligations under the code, including collective responsibility and the proper procedures for clearing and presenting government policy.
Earlier, Downing Street said Starmer continued to have confidence in both Mahmood and Tapp.
Pictures courtesy of AOL
Row over visa policy
In his article, Tapp argued that care workers who entered the UK legally on care worker visas and had contributed to the country's social care sector should not face longer waits before becoming eligible for settlement.
He wrote that he believed those who had "played by the rules" and made a genuine contribution to the care system should be exempt from the planned changes, adding that the issue was one he had been working to resolve.
After the article appeared, a Home Office source told the BBC that Tapp was expected to be dismissed for breaching the Ministerial Code, accusing him of presenting policy ideas being developed by Mahmood's team as his own.
The Ministerial Code states that collective responsibility allows ministers to debate policy privately but requires them to present a united public position once decisions have been made.
Public exchange
Responding on X, Tapp rejected the allegations, saying the dispute had shifted from claims that he broke the Ministerial Code to accusations that he had taken someone else's ideas.
He said he had been working on the policy for months and claimed to have "the receipts" to support that assertion. Tapp also said he would not be intimidated into abandoning his views.
Supporters of Mahmood interpreted the reference to "receipts" as a possible threat to disclose sensitive government documents.
According to reports, that prompted the home secretary to limit Tapp's access to official documents and government meetings.
Later, Tapp sought to ease tensions, writing on X that he had "a lot of respect" for Mahmood and would continue working hard for the country.
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Adapted by ASEAN Now. Source 27 June 2026