A Whitehall insider said the immigration minister was hoping to win a role in Andy Burnham's Cabinet
Shabana Mahmood is set to sack her migration minister after he breached ministerial code.
Mike Tapp, the MP for Dover & Deal, penned an article without his boss's approval, in which he demanded migrant care workers are given special exemptions from Ms Mahmood's migration overhaul.
Writing the article for The Times, Mr Tapp said it was his "strong belief" that migrants should not face extended periods for permanent settlement in Britain.
But Ms Mahmood is said to not have given her junior minister the greenlight to publish the op-ed, revealing fracturing within the top level of Government.
The Home Office minister became Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Migration and Citizenship back in September 2025, just two months after Labour won its landslide under Sir Keir Starmer.
Mr Tapp was accused of hoping to win another role in a potential Burnham Cabinet, with the Makerfield MP expected to move into No10 on July 17.
A Whitehall insider said: "Mike Tapp is expected to be sacked for breaching the ministerial code.
"He has taken possible ideas that the Home Secretary and her team were working on, and briefed them as his own to try to win a job in the new administration."
However, Mr Tapp indicated that, if Mr Burnham were successful in his bid to replace Sir Keir Starmer as Prime Minister, a general election should be called.
Before Sir Keir announced his resignation on Monday, the migration minister said that anyone who expelled the leader would need the approval of Britain to resist the "constant churn" of politicians in Westminster.