The prime minister will be making a schools announcement

He delivered his message at a special political cabinet meeting, before launching plans for a country-wide programme of school refurbishment.

The prime minister is widely understood to want to draw a line under the divisive issue of the Iraq war.

That and the subsequent Hutton inquiry into the death of weapons expert Dr David Kelly have dominated headlines.

'Funding crisis'

But the Conservatives said the education announcement was "yet another relaunch from a government that is desperately scratching around for new headlines".

Education spokesman Tim Yeo said: "If Tony Blair and [Education Secretary] Charles Clarke really think that re-announcing things again and again will solve problems in our schools then they are sorely mistaken.

"The British public have seen first hand during last year's funding crisis that despite all of the government's 'new' funding, money is still not reaching the frontline.

"The British people are increasingly tiring of Labour's failure to move from eye-catching press releases to effective policy."

The political cabinet followed the usual weekly gathering of top-ranking ministers at Number 10.

Differences

Downing Street said Mr Blair was joined by Chancellor Gordon Brown in making a presentation looking at how the government could do more to convince both voters and some Labour backbenchers that its policies are improving public services.

A Number 10 spokesman said: "We need to communicate the fact that that positive personal experience really does reflect the reality."

Ministers also discussed what they believe are the differences between Labour's programme and the Tories' "extreme right-wing agenda".

This week has seen several announcements relating to domestic policy including the flagging up of plans to create a new FBI-style agency to combat crime.

New NHS performance targets, emphasising quality of patient care, due to be introduced from April 2005, were also unveiled.

New EU states

And Mr Blair has highlighted plans to look at welfare rules in a bid to discourage would-be benefits tourists from Eastern Europe.

A total of 10 new states are due to join the EU on 1 May and the UK is one of only two countries which has decided not to put restrictions on people from countries like Lithuania and the Czech republic working here.

Mr Blair has also faced opposition to his policies on his own backbenches - and not just over the war in Iraq.

Controversial plans to introduce top-up fees saw his majority slashed to just five.

Berlin summit

Ex-cabinet minister Peter Mandelson - who is seen as close to the prime minister - has attacked the rebels as being "more comfortable with opposition even though there we achieved nothing".

He used a speech to think tank Progress to attack a faction of Labour MPs whom he said found power "disappointing".

On Thursday afternoon, Mr Blair will launch plans for a country-wide programme of school refurbishments similar to the one underway in the NHS.

Afterwards the prime minister is due to fly to Berlin for talks with Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder ahead of next week's tri-lateral summit involving Britain, France and Germany.