Reports suggest the Cabinet has outlined a radical legislative programme for the first parliament of a third Labour term in power.

Senior ministers were expected to prioritise key "radical" reforms of the public services in what would be Tony Blair's final stint in Downing Street when they met on Thursday.

Measures such as reform of incapacity benefit and pensions, childcare, maternity and paternity leave, skills training, pensions and public health promotion, would take precedent over bills left over from the final session of this term, the Independent claimed.

The programme would increase the speculation that the prime minister intends to serve less than the full five years of the parliament in Number 10.

"He is making it clear he wants to do an awful lot in the first parliamentary year," one minister told the paper.

Several pieces of legislation are set to fall if, as expected, the general election is called for May 5 when MPs return from their Easter break.

But the indications are that not all will be resurrected immediately if Labour wins again, despite the first session of a third term lasting from May until November 2006.

Labour's likely manifesto commitments combined with the number of bills set to lapse due to a lack of a cross-party consensus, meant that there were a reported pieces of legislation up for discussion at the Cabinet meeting.

Measures being put to the back of the queue could include the unpopular Gambling Bill and a shake-up of consumer credit laws.

However the EU constitution bill will have to be pushed through in time for the referendum to be held in 2006, while Blair will want to press ahead with his plans for ID cards.

Conservative co-chairman Liam Fox said Labour was presuming it would win the forthcoming poll.

"This shows how much this government takes the people of Britain for granted," he said.

"It is quite clear that Tony Blair remains as arrogant as ever and also demonstrates that the last Queen's Speech was nothing more than a headline grabbing stunt."