Created in the 2023 boundary review, replacing Dover.
A new constituency created in the 2023 boundary review.
MP News Approval i
+24
Mike Tapp
Labour PartyMike Tapp is the Labour MP for Dover and Deal, and has been an MP continually since 4 July 2024. He currently holds the Government post of Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office).
Vote on New Clause 1 to the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, a private member's bill on assisted dying. Based on available debate context, this was one of several amendments considered at Report Stage, with the bill's sponsor Kim Leadbeater presenting changes developed with government legal and health officials to make the legislation workable.
Vote on New Clause 2 to the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, debated alongside related amendments including provisions on guidance, devolution, and regulatory consultation. The excerpts focus on New Clause 20, which would require the Secretary of State to issue guidance (consulting chief medical officers and palliative/hospice care providers) and enable Welsh Ministers to issue guidance on devolved health matters.
A vote on whether to allow a Bill to be introduced that would replace the current first-past-the-post voting system with proportional representation (specifically single transferable vote) for UK parliamentary and English local government elections. The Bill was proposed by Liberal Democrat MP Sarah Olney, arguing the current system produces large parliamentary majorities on small vote shares.
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Sign up freeCoverage of Dover and Deal has been mixed for Mike across 40 recent articles.
Positive coverage
“UK art exhibition sparks outrage over drawings of Jews eating babies, Oct 7 rape denial” — The Jerusalem Post
“Farage slammed for skipping BBC QT in his own constituency” — The Canary
Critical coverage
“UK immigration minister criticised for 'distasteful' photo with gun” — The Scotsman
“BBC Question Time row erupts as Labour minister SLAPPED DOWN over Nigel Farage claim” — GB News
Won by Lab in its first election in 2024. Covers Dover, Deal and Whitfield (Dover). Population 100,228. Median income £26K (below average).
Six-storey block of flats to be built on former nightclub site
Kent Online · 8 Apr 2026
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Sign up freeMedian Income▼
£25,800
per year (HMRC 2022-23)
Mean Income▼
£32,600
per year (HMRC 2022-23)
Businesses▼
2,910
VAT/PAYE registered (ONS 2024)
Schools▼
53
35 primary, 7 secondary, 11 other
Total Income Tax▼
£232m
from 53,000 taxpayers
Median Tax▼
£2,370
per taxpayer / year
Mean Tax
£4,360
per taxpayer / year
Source: HMRC Survey of Personal Incomes, tax year 2022-23. Allocated by taxpayer residence. Covers income tax only — excludes NI, VAT, and capital gains. Sample-based estimate (~8% confidence interval).
Attainment 8▼
41.3
average score (DfE)
GCSE Pass Rate▼
57.0%
5+ GCSEs 9-4 (DfE)
2 large towns, 3 towns, 8 villages, rural areas — 103,793 total population
Source: ONS Built-Up Areas (Census 2021) + data.police.uk — crime rates are per 1,000 population (last 3 months)
Source: data.police.uk — street-level crime data aggregated from LSOA to constituency
28 councillors across 15 wards · Last elections: May 2023
| Ward | Party | Councillor | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alkham Capel Le Ferne | Conservative and Unionist Party | Martin Hibbert | May 2023 |
| Aylesham Eythorne Shepherdswell | Labour Party | Charles Woodgate | May 2023 |
| Labour Party | Jamie Luke Pout | May 2023 | |
| Labour Party | Maria Shaz Mamjan | May 2023 | |
| Buckland | Labour Party | Charlotte Zosseder | May 2023 |
| Labour Party | Kevin Mills | May 2023 | |
| Dover Downs River | Conservative and Unionist Party | Dave Beaney | May 2023 |
| Conservative and Unionist Party | Mark Rose | May 2023 | |
| Eastry Rural | Conservative and Unionist Party | Nick Kenton | May 2023 |
| Conservative and Unionist Party | Steve Manion | May 2023 | |
| Guston Kingsdown St Margarets At Cliffe | Conservative and Unionist Party | Martin Bates | May 2023 |
| Conservative and Unionist Party | Oliver Richardson | May 2023 | |
| Maxton Elms Vale | Labour Party | Michael Joseph Nee | May 2023 |
| Middle Deal | Labour Party | David Graham Cronk | May 2023 |
| Labour Party | Stacey Blair | May 2023 | |
| Mill Hill | Labour Party | Helen Marianne Williams | May 2023 |
| Labour Party | Jeffrey Loffman | May 2023 | |
| North Deal | Labour Party | Dan Parks | May 2023 |
| Labour Party | Sue Beer | May 2023 | |
| St Radigunds | Labour Party | Gordan Cowan | May 2023 |
| Labour Party | Lynne Marie Wright | May 2023 | |
| Tower Hamlets | Labour Party | Pam Brivio | May 2023 |
| Town Castle | Labour Party | Edward Biggs | May 2023 |
| Labour Party | Susan Hill | May 2023 | |
| Walmer | Conservative and Unionist Party | Chris Vinson | May 2023 |
| Conservative and Unionist Party | Derek Murphy | May 2023 | |
| Whitfield | Conservative and Unionist Party | Jim Back | May 2023 |
| Conservative and Unionist Party | Roger Malcolm Knight | May 2023 |
Source: DCLEAPIL v1.0 by Jason Leman, LEAP (Andrew Teale) & Democracy Club. CC BY-SA 4.0. Data last refreshed: 1 Apr 2026.
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lab | 18,940 | 39.6% | |
| Ref | 11,355 | 23.8% | |
| Con | 10,370 | 21.7% | |
| Green | 3,106 | 6.5% | |
| LD | 2,595 | 5.4% | |
| Ind | 485 | 1.0% | |
| Ind | 369 | 0.8% | |
| Ind | 185 | 0.4% | |
| Ind | 168 | 0.3% | |
| Ind | 104 | 0.2% | |
| WPB | 98 | 0.2% |
Mike Tapp appeared in 1 national article across 1 topic (10 Apr 2026 – 10 Apr 2026)
Mixed (-0.20)Ranked #120 of 286 MPs mentioned in national coverage
Defending the government's response and law enforcement efforts, though the continued deaths and France's rejection of UK proposals limit the positive framing available.
20 articles hidden as not sufficiently relevant to this constituency
Dover District Council has approved planning permission for a 29-flat residential development on the former Club Karma nightclub site on Adrian Street. Dover Town Council objected to the six-storey building's height and potential obstruction of views of a nearby Unitarian Church, but planners determined the housing benefits outweighed these concerns.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood failed to secure a new £650m deal with France to reduce Channel migrant crossings by the deadline, with French negotiators resisting demands for performance targets linked to funding. The UK will instead pay £16.5m for a two-month extension of the current arrangement while negotiations continue, amid criticism from opposition parties and concerns about the effectiveness of French interception efforts.
UK-France negotiations over small boat crossings have stalled, with disagreements over policing enforcement on French beaches forcing ministers to extend the existing £478m deal for two months rather than agree a new long-term arrangement. Dover and Deal, as a constituency directly affected by Channel migration, faces continued uncertainty over border control policy and funding.
The UK has agreed a £16.2m two-month stopgap deal with France to continue Channel beach patrols after negotiations for a permanent arrangement failed. The deal comes as the existing £478m agreement expires, with the Home Secretary seeking more enforcement officers and guaranteed small-boat interceptions to disrupt smuggling gangs.
The government has announced a record £3 billion investment in special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) provision across England, with £18 million allocated to Kent County Council. The funding aims to expand inclusive classrooms and specialist provision in Dover and Deal schools, reducing waiting times and long-distance travel for families with children who have additional needs.
A couple from Eastry, near Sandwich in the Dover and Deal constituency, were seriously injured in a car crash on the A256, with the wife facing a year-long recovery from spinal fractures. The self-employed couple now face severe financial hardship as they cannot work, have no critical illness insurance, and their community has rallied to support them through fundraising.
Tom Skinner claimed he was paid £2,000 for appearing on Question Time, but the BBC clarified panellists receive £150. Labour MP Mike Tapp responded by referencing his own recent appearance on the show from Dover, criticising the lack of a Reform representative.
An opinion piece criticises the BBC's Question Time for platforming Tom Skinner (a Reform UK member with a criminal record) while discussing a controversy where the show defended Nigel Farage's claim about not being invited to appear in his own Clacton constituency. The article mentions that Labour MP Mike Tapp responded to Farage's claim, noting he had appeared on Question Time in Dover for an immigration special.
Mike Tapp, the Dover and Deal MP and Home Office minister, publicly challenged the BBC's Question Time editorial decision not to feature Nigel Farage on a panel filmed in Clacton (Farage's constituency). The BBC defended its longstanding policy and cited Tapp's own appearance on Question Time in Dover for an immigration special as precedent.
Nigel Farage was criticized for skipping a BBC Question Time episode filmed in his Clacton-on-Sea constituency, claiming a false BBC policy prevented his appearance. The article notes that Mike Tapp, the Dover MP, successfully appeared on Question Time when it was held in Dover in December 2025, disproving Farage's excuse and highlighting the contrast between Farage's absence from his constituency and Tapp's engagement with constituents.
Major UK lenders including HSBC, Barclays, and Nationwide have raised mortgage rates significantly following market disruption caused by the Iran conflict and inflationary concerns. Sub-4% mortgage deals have disappeared from the market, with average two-year fixed rates jumping to 5.23% and five-year rates to 5.32%, severely impacting first-time buyers and those remortgaging in Dover and Deal.
UK immigration minister Mike Tapp, the MP for Dover and Deal, faced criticism from Scottish Labour MP Brian Leishman after posting a photo of himself holding a gun at a Security and Policing expo with a caption about Britain's border. Leishman called the post 'distasteful' and accused Tapp of betraying Labour principles, claiming it contradicts the party's commitment to human rights and social justice.
An antisemitic art exhibition in Margate featuring violent stereotypes, conspiracy theories, and Holocaust denial imagery has sparked outrage from Jewish organizations and community groups. Local MP Mike Tapp and community leaders have condemned the exhibition, while Thanet Council faced criticism for initially promoting it.
A controversial art exhibition in Margate, Kent featuring antisemitic imagery and Oct 7 rape denial has sparked outrage. The exhibition by artist Matthew Collings contains depictions of Jews as demons and perpetuating harmful stereotypes, with local MP Mike Tapp and others condemning it as antisemitism masquerading as political art.
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