SIR Keir Starmer’s lame-duck Government descended into farce yesterday after the Home Secretary failed to sack her own immigration minister — and instead banned him from seeing official documents.
Shabana Mahmood imposed the extraordinary restriction on Mike Tapp as the PM refused to remove him for a newspaper article on migration.
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Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood failed to sack immigration minister Mike Tapp — instead banning him from seeing official documents in a row over a migration article Credit: Alamy
Mike Tapp had called for foreign care workers to be exempt from Labour’s hardline settlement reforms Credit: PA
He will stay in post but cannot view Home Office papers or hold official meetings without approval.
Mr Tapp had called for foreign care workers to be exempt from Labour’s hardline settlement reforms.
Ms Mahmood was unaware of the article before it was published and asked Sir Keir to sack him for a Ministerial Code breach.
But No 10 made it clear that the final decision rested with the PM.
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A spokesman said: “It is not for any individual Secretary of State to determine whether the Ministerial Code has been followed, it is a matter for the PM alone.”
Earlier, Mr Tapp insisted on social media: “I won’t be intimidated to drop my views. Stay classy!”
He also compared the row to fighting the Taliban in a post which he later deleted.
Ms Mahmood’s failed bid to force out Mr Tapp triggered a backlash inside Labour, with one Government aide branding her “completely shameless and dishonourable” after she spent months publicly piling pressure on Sir Keir Starmer.
The Home Secretary was among the first Cabinet ministers to tell Sir Keir his time was up after Labour’s local election drubbing.
The row has also reignited Labour’s bitter argument over plans to make many migrants wait ten years instead of five before qualifying for permanent settlement.
