Labour infighting is raging today as Keir Starmer snubs demands to sack one of his ultra-loyal ministers.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has told the PM Mike Tapp must go after he wrote an article calling for her immigration crackdown to be eased.

However, Mr Tapp remains in post, with Sir Keir not even agreeing to refer the issue to his independent adviser.

The Dover & Deal MP has been among Sir Keir's few vocal champions, while the outgoing premier's allies regard Ms Mahmood as having betrayed him by urging him to set a departure timetable.

She has been tipped to become Chancellor under Andy Burnham, who is on track to take over in No10 on July 17. 

Sir Keir came close to sacking the Home Secretary last month, before realising it could collapse his Government.

The extraordinary standoff underlines the chaotic situation in Labour, with the PM retaining elements of control despite power having drained away.

Sir Keir is also adamant he will publish the crucial Defence Investment Plan before a Nato summit on July 7, despite Mr Burnham's team wanting to wait until he is in place.

In his article for The Times, Mr Tapp said he had been working to 'develop a better approach than a blanket retrospective extension from five years to ten years for everyone'.

He wrote: 'It is my strong belief that those who have come to the United Kingdom on care worker visas who have played by the rules and have genuinely contributed to our care system should not be required to wait longer to apply for settlement. That is the issue I am working hard to address.'

He said that the exemptions to the ILR changes would apply to all those who came on the health and care visa route, which saw a total of 616,266 issued between 2022 and 2024. More than half of them were family members of workers, known as dependants.

Analysis by the Home Office and its migration advisory committee has estimated that about 200,000 care workers and their dependants will apply for permanent settlement between now and 2030 if the five-year route remains unchanged.

Ms Mahmood is furious that Mr Tapp has taken a compromise idea that was being worked on behind the scenes, and portrayed them as his own. Sources accused him of trying to win favour with Mr Burnham to keep his job.   

The Home Office told reporters that Mr Tapp 'is expected to be sacked for breaching the Ministerial Code'.

But No10 said Mr Tapp 'remains in post'. Insiders suggested any breach of the ministerial code would not be serious enough to remove him.

Mr Tapp had maintained silence since the article appeared. 

Touring broadcast studios for the Government this morning, justice minister Jake Richards said it was up to the PM whether to sack Mr Tapp.

'The Prime Minister makes decisions as to whether the ministerial code or collective responsibility is broken,' he said.

'Mike is a friend of mine, he's someone who served his country before coming into Parliament, he's someone I have an enormous amount of respect for.

'My view is that, as a very junior minister myself, we work as a team and I would always work with my Secretary of State, and if my Secretary of State was Shabana Mahmood, that would be even more so, because she's a formidable Home Secretary.'

Mr Richards told Times Radio: 'We're clearly in an unusual moment in our politics, where the Prime Minister has resigned on Monday, just a few days ago, and it's quite clear that his replacement will be taking over in the next few weeks.

'Now, that is unusual. We need to undertake that interregnum period with some calm, I think everyone needs to take a deep breath and ensure that we work collectively as a team for the interests of the country.

'I'm sure that's what Mike will do… he's someone who served his country before with great distinction, and I'm sure he'll continue to do that as a minister and as Member of Parliament.'