Mike Tapp

Mike Tapp
MP
Official portrait, 2024
Member of Parliament
for Dover and Deal
Incumbent
Assumed office
4 July 2024
Preceded byNatalie Elphicke
Majority7,559 (15.8%)
Personal details
Born
Michael Adrian Tapp

February 1985 (age 40)
Political partyLabour

Michael Adrian Tapp[1] (born February 1985)[2] is a British Labour Party politician and former soldier who has been the Member of Parliament for Dover and Deal since 2024.[3]

Early life

Tapp is the son of a policeman.[4]

Tapp served in the Intelligence Corps[5] and had three tours (Iraq and Afghanistan) before joining the National Crime Agency and then the Ministry of Defence.[3]

He left to pursue a career in politics in 2020 and was selected as the prospective parliamentary candidate for Dover and Deal in 2022.[4]

Parliamentary career

Prior to the 2024 general election, the seat had been held for the Conservatives by Natalie Elphicke, however she defected to Labour shortly before the election was called. She announced that she would be standing down.

Tapp received 18,940 votes, which gave him a majority of 7,585 votes.[6] Howard Cox of Reform UK received 11,355 votes and Stephen James of the Conservatives gained 10,370.[7]

On 7 July 2024, The Guardian named him as one of "five fresh Labour MPs to watch",[8] noting that "Tapp’s military background and work with the National Crime Agency also make him a compelling figure."

Tapp backed the decision to scrap Winter Fuel Payments for pensioners who did not receive pension credit[9] or other means-tested benefits and urged "all that are on the eligibility line to reach out to [their] local MP" for support.[10]

In November 2024, Tapp, in addition to Damien Egan and Jo White, was appointed honorary vice-chair of Labour Friends of Israel.[11]

Views

Tapp has criticised the plans to recognise Palestinian statehood while Hamas continues to hold hostages and engage in armed operations. Responding to Hamas's praise of a possible UK recognition as "one of the fruits of October 7," Tapp said the statement "demonstrates why there is such fear in the Jewish community." He urged the government to make clear that recognition must be conditional on Hamas releasing the Israeli hostages and laying down its arms, describing the group as "genocidal terrorists."[12]

Honours and decorations

Tapp was awarded the Iraq Medal and the Operational Service Medal for Afghanistan for his service in the Intelligence Corps, where he served in Iraq and Afghanistan.[13]

Undress ribbons worn by Tapp:

Ribbon Description Notes
Iraq Medal Ribbon Iraq Medal
  • Service in Iraq 2003-2011
Operational Service Medal for Afghanistan
  • Service in Afghanistan 2001-2021

References

  1. ^ "Members Sworn". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Vol. 752. Parliament of the United Kingdom: House of Commons. 10 July 2024.
  2. ^ "Michael Adrian TAPP personal appointments". gov.uk. Companies House. Retrieved 24 April 2025.
  3. ^ a b Courea, Eleni (5 June 2024). "Rising stars who could play a big part in a Labour government". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
  4. ^ a b Green, Daniel (2 July 2024). "Small boats and Tory mutineers: Can veteran Mike Tapp win Dover and Deal?". LabourList. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  5. ^ Mitchell, Archie (9 June 2024). "Labour's Dover candidate: 'I would not have stood under Corbyn'". The Independent. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  6. ^ van Klaveren, Tom (5 July 2024). "Dover and Deal General Election results as Labour take seat that was previously Conservative". Kent and Sussex Courier. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  7. ^ Fuller, Christian (5 July 2024). "Six takeaways from Kent's general election results". BBC News. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  8. ^ Savage, Michael (7 July 2024). "Big brains and glittering careers: five fresh Labour MPs to watch". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  9. ^ "The Public Whip — Voting Record - Mike Tapp MP, Dover and Deal (26605)". www.publicwhip.org.uk. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
  10. ^ Tapp, Mike (10 September 2024). "Mike Tapp interview".
  11. ^ lfiIsrael (27 November 2024). "Labour Friends of Israel announces three new honorary vice-chairs". Labour Friends of Israel. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  12. ^ Dathan, Matt (3 August 2025). "Backlash for Keir Starmer after Hamas praises move to recognise Palestine". www.thetimes.com. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
  13. ^ "Service". X (Twitter). 20 May 2025.
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