Migration minister Mike Tapp has said he “won’t be intimidated” after Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood called on the Prime Minister to sack him for writing an article she believed to be out of step with immigration policy.
Ms Mahmood has called for the Prime Minister to dismiss Mr Tapp, after he wrote a Times article suggesting foreign care workers should be exempt from her plans to tighten settlement rules.
But Downing Street has resisted immediately sacking the minister, who is accused of allegedly breaching the ministerial code by his actions.
The stand-off between the Home Office and No 10 is viewed by some as a test of Sir Keir Starmer’s authority during his final weeks in Downing Street.
Writing on social media on Friday, Mr Tapp said: “Ok, morning all.
“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.
“I won’t be intimidated to drop my views. Stay classy!”
Mr Tapp, who said he was at a wedding in San Francisco in the US, appeared to be referring to efforts by some within Government to suggest he was not responsible for the ideas in his article.
In that article, Mr Tapp said his “strong belief” was that those already working in the UK care system should not have to wait longer to qualify for indefinite leave to remain (ILR).
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”.
Ms Mahmood has proposed to double the time it takes for most migrants to qualify for permanent residence to a decade, including for claimants who are already in the UK but have not yet received ILR.
A Government source suggested on Thursday that by writing the article, Mr Tapp was out of step with Home Office policy and had broken collective responsibility, a convention meaning ministers do not have policy disputes in public.
The Home Secretary is said to have been unaware of the piece and believes the Dover and Deal MP should be dismissed from his role as minister for migration and citizenship.
Elsewhere, Jake Richards, a justice minister and whip, told Times Radio that it was not “wise” for Mr Tapp to write the article.
He told the broadcaster: “Mike’s article in The Times sets out what his views are and some of the issues that he in the Home Office is exploring.
“It’s not particularly wise in my mind for junior ministers to set that out publicly. We are part of a team, he has done that and we will deal with that as a Government.”
It is ultimately up to the Prime Minister whether he sacks the migration minister, Mr Richards also said.
Mr Tapp has remained publicly loyal to Sir Keir even as his authority drained away across the wider Parliamentary Labour Party, and expressed disappointment when the Prime Minister announced his resignation on Monday, calling it a “sad day”.
The questions over his future come amid broader turmoil at the top of Government, after Andy Burnham emerged as the frontrunner to replace the Labour leader as early as July 17.
