Mike Tapp

Michael Tapp is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Dover and Deal since 2024, taking over from Natalie Elphicke.

Early life
Tapp is the son of a policeman.

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

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

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. Howard Cox of Reform UK received 11,355 votes and Stephen James of the Conservatives gained 10,370.

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

Personal life
He has a dog called Scooby.