Mahmood and Starmer clash over junior minister's sacking

An extraordinary public row has escalated between Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood and her junior minister, Mike Tapp, after he stated he "won't be intimidated" by her calls for his sacking. Mahmood demanded Tapp's dismissal for writing an unauthorized article in The Times that called for overseas care workers to be exempt from controversial changes to immigration rules.

Tapp, the immigration minister, used his X account to deliver a defiant response, stating he had put his views across on a policy he had been working on for months and would not be intimidated to drop them. He also mentioned he was at a wedding in San Francisco but happy to talk more upon his return.

Downing Street has so far refused to officially sack Tapp, stating that "no decision" had been made by the prime minister. However, pressure is building, with another member of the government calling it "unwise" for junior ministers to set out views publicly in such a manner. The justice minister Jake Richards told Times Radio that while Tapp's article set out his views, it was "not particularly wise" for junior ministers to do so publicly as they are part of a team.

The row comes as senior Labour figures are reportedly vying for leading roles in Andy Burnham's prospective administration, which is expected to take power soon. Tapp's article argued it was his "strong belief" that migrant care workers should not have to wait longer to apply for permanent settlement in the UK. A source close to Mahmood insisted the article was written "to try to win a job in the new administration." It is understood Tapp was involved in ministerial discussions about exempting care workers from proposed changes to indefinite leave to remain, and it is alleged he took an idea from those discussions and attempted to pass it off as his own.