Labour won power in 1997 on a wave of high public expectations, and commitments to turn around ailing public services. Four years on major improvements in the NHS and education are not being noticed by the voters.

Between them Blair and Gordon Brown made the decision to stick to Conservative spending plans for their first two years in office; it was a move that has made change slower than expected.

Perhaps the biggest decision of this political generation - whether the UK should sign up to the European single currency - has yet to be made, although the government says it is in favour of joining in principle should its conditions be met.

While in office Blair has had to deal with several major crises - the most difficult perhaps being the Kosovo war in 1999. Since then the government has had to cope with the fuel protests in the autumn of last year and the foot-and-mouth outbreak, which threw an expected May general election off course.