Tony Blair was in Downing Street last night, preparing to brief his ministers before he calls a General Election.

The Prime Minister, who turned 48 yesterday, is expected to name the date later this week.

He had spent the weekend at Chequers, fine-tuning his election strategy.

Mr Blair cut short the Bank Holiday weekend in order to hold a political cabinet this afternoon, in which he will tell ministers the election must be fought "as if it is on a knife-edge".

He is then expected to announce tomorrow that polling day will be Thursday, June 7.

Conservative leader William Hague and fellow senior Tories were also preparing for the election battle by launching a manifesto on local government.

They are confident that their strength in the local elections - they have gained 2,541 seats in the past four years, while Labour has lost 2,500 - will spill over into the General Election campaign.

They will attack the Government on high council taxes in Labour-controlled local authorities and on what they claim is the Government's failing to protect green belt land.

Party chairman Michael Ancram said he would be concentrating on "not wild promises but common sense policies which address real problems".

"That's why I am going into this election looking at only one possibility, and that's going to win it," Mr Ancram told BBC1's Breakfast With Frost.

He said reports of a predicted 220-plus Labour majority following the election were just "headlines".