William Hague has moved to recast the Tories in his own image with a root-and-branch reshuffle of his top team that put Eurosceptic new-bloods firmly in control.

In a radical shake-up, he also turned his big guns onto Labour's declared key policy areas - health, education and the economy - and brought a wave of fresh talent onto the Opposition front benches.

The reshuffle was designed to mark the demise of the "interim cabinet" Mr Hague inherited when he took over from John Major, and to target Labour's alleged broken election promises on hospital waiting lists, class sizes and inflation.

John Pienaar speaks to Radio 4 on the Tory reshuffle

And it was an attempt to sow the seeds of a future front bench that will match Labour's youth and "freshness" and give the Tories a coherent new identity.

But the reshuffle also needs to revitalise the Tories' flagging public image which has hardly revived since their disastrous general election performance. Latest polls are still showing William Hague as the invisible leader, with Tony Blair scoring a higher satisfaction factor - even amongst Conservative supporters.

Rewarding performance

Europhiles like Kenneth Clarke and Michael Heseltine will have little to cheer about in the new team - as the image is clearly Eurosceptic.

Heseltine: could lead Euro backlash

But Mr Hague has also attempted to reward performance by sparing Foreign Secretary Michael Howard, who had been widely-tipped for a sideways move, and by bringing controversial ex-prisons minister Ann Widdecombe back into the fold.

Miss Widdecombe - famous for claiming Michael Howard had "something of the night" about him - was rewarded with the job as shadow health spokesman after an impressive stint on the back benches where she regularly lacerated Labour ministers.

Her job will be to counter the disarming "don't blame me" approach to hospital waiting lists adopted by Labour's Frank Dobson.

Rising star

Rising star Francis Maude, a Hague ally and arch Eurosceptic, has been promoted to the job as shadow chancellor where he will be expected to give Gordon Brown the rough ride he has so far escaped from Peter Lilley.

Education Secretary David Blunkett will in future face one of the Tories most impressive intellects - David "two brains" Willetts - across the despatch box.

Prescott: facing Shephard

And in what could prove to be a masterstroke, Mr Hague gave Gillian Shephard the job of tackling combative deputy prime minister John Prescott on environment, transport and regional affairs. It is calculated that his bruiser image will backfire when put against a woman.

Mr Hague also signalled a future shake-up at party headquarters by giving Michael Ancram the job as deputy party chairman to Lord Cecil Parkinson, but letting it be known he was there to replace his boss after the party conference in October.

But it was clear that the aim of the reshuffle was to cast the Tories as a right-wing, Eurosceptic party ready to challenge Labour at the next election - particularly over the issue of a single European currency.

Of the new people brought onto the top team, not one came from the left of the party or has pro-European views.

That could inevitably bring its own problems if the likes of Michael Heseltine and Kenneth Clarke - neither of whom are believed to have been offered jobs - decide to declare open warfare on the leadership.

And only a day before the reshuffle, it was revealed that grass roots Tories had overwhelmingly selected pro-European candidates to fight the looming Euro elections - suggesting the parliamentary party may be out of touch with ordinary members.

The reshuffle was largely bloodless, with only shadow aid minister Alastair Goodlad being sacked. But it saw two big hitters - former Tory Chairman Sir Brian Mawhinney and ex-education spokesman Stephen Dorrell - walking out of the cabinet.