The British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, will today begin a campaign to rally support as he comes under increasing pressure from his Labour Party colleagues.
Already damaged - both within the party and among the public - for taking the country to war with Iraq but failing to find weapons of mass destruction, Mr Blair's controversial cabinet reshuffle last week triggered political and legal indignation.
In a speech to the Fabian Society, a left-leaning think-tank, Mr Blair will stress that Labour is the party of the future and reassert its commitment to public service delivery, newspapers said.
"Our task is to prepare Britain for the future," the London Timessaid today, citing extracts from his speech. "The centre left can be confident. We are the party of change and change is the theme of our times".
Mr Blair agreed yesterday to make a statement to parliament tomorrow about the cabinet reshuffle in which, without warning, he scrapped the post of Lord Chancellor and set up in its place a new department of constitutional affairs.
Opposition parliamentarians said the move was unconstitutional and ill-considered, and even judges said it was illogical. Mr Blair also scrapped then reinstated separate offices for Wales and Scotland - prompting charges that he was being high-handed.
A poll in the Timesput the Conservatives on 33 per cent against Labour's 37 per cent - a climb of one and a loss of two points respectively for the two parties.