UK Home Secretary urges PM to dismiss immigration minister

A significant rift has opened within the UK government as Prime Minister Keir Starmer has resisted calls from Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood to sack Immigration Minister Mike Tapp. The dispute centers on an article Tapp wrote for The Times, published on Thursday, June 25, in which he argued for exempting foreign care workers from a key part of Mahmood's immigration overhaul.

Mahmood has formally requested Tapp's dismissal, alleging he breached the Ministerial Code by publicly advocating a policy at odds with the Home Office's official stance and without her knowledge. A government source said the Home Secretary believes Tapp violated the principle of collective responsibility, which requires ministers to maintain a united public front on government policy. However, as of Friday, June 26, Downing Street has not acted on the request, stating Tapp remains in his post. The prime minister has not referred the matter to his independent adviser on ministerial interests.

In his article, Tapp wrote that it was his "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...