Home Office minister Mike Tapp has been “reminded of his obligations under the Ministerial Code” but remains in post after a row with the Home Secretary, Downing Street has said.
Shabana Mahmood had called for Sir Keir Starmer to sack Mr Tapp and restricted his access to sensitive documents over an article he wrote in The Times on immigration policy, accusing him of breaching the Ministerial Code.
But in a rebuke to both Ms Mahmood and Mr Tapp, a Downing Street spokesperson said it was “not for any individual Secretary of State to determine whether the Ministerial Code has been followed, it is a matter for the Prime Minister alone”.
The spokesperson added: “Mike Tapp has been reminded of his obligations under the Ministerial Code including collective responsibility and procedures relating to the clearance and presentation of government policy.”
In his Times article, Mr Tapp, the minister for migration and citizenship, suggested foreign care workers should be exempt from Ms Mahmood’s plans to tighten settlement rules.
The Home Secretary’s current plans would increase the amount of time immigrants have to wait to apply for indefinite leave to remain (ILR) from five years to at least 10 and, in many cases, even longer.
In his article, Mr Tapp expressed a “strong belief” that those already working in the UK care system should not have to wait longer to qualify for indefinite leave to remain.
He reportedly wrote that he had been working closely with officials to “develop a better approach than a blanket retrospective extension from five years to 10 years for everyone”.
The article led a Government source to accuse Mr Tapp of “freelancing on policy”, saying he had taken “proposals that the Home Secretary was working on, and briefed them as his own”.
The source accused Mr Tapp of breaching collective responsibility and the Ministerial Code, and claimed the minister had threatened to “leak sensitive documents” in a tweet defending his actions.
Mr Tapp had earlier criticised figures within Government briefing against him, writing on X: “It’s gone from ‘he broke the ministerial code’ to ‘he stole my idea’.
“I have put my views across on a policy I’ve been working on for months (I have the receipts) in an Op Ed in the times. Give it a read, and let’s continue to discuss.”
In a separate post, which he then deleted, Mr Tapp dismissed “attempted intimidation” and, referring to his military service, added: “I’ve seen off the Taliban and taken out terrorists.”
On Friday evening, Mr Tapp apologised for this tweet, describing it as “poorly judged”.
He said: “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.”
