TONY Blair is believed to be preparing a Cabinet re-shuffle to give him a team to lead the party into the next General Election.

And one of the MPs being tipped to join the cabinet is Bolton West's Ruth Kelly.

If, as expected, Ms Kelly does gain her promotion, she would become, at 36, the youngest ever woman member.

She has certainly impressed Downing Street with her performance in recent weeks and it is no secret that the financial secretary to the Treasury is extremely ambitious.

For a long time now, she has been called one of Blair's Babes - a title she is said to strongly dislike - and she is widely known to have an extremely good brain, certainly sharp enough to have make her mark within the Treasury and gain the respect of Chancellor Gordon Brown.

Just as impressive, she is in the record books as the MP to have given birth the most times since being elected in 1997 - she is mother to Eamonn, Sinead, Roisin and Niamh. But although she took several months off to have her babies and took part in just 29.2 per cent of divisions or votes in the last parliamentary session, her political career has gone from strength-to-strength.

The Prime Minister is extremely unlikely to hand Ms Kelly the role of Chancellor (although that could well happen should Gordon Brown become PM in the future). More likely is that Kelly will replace Paul Boateng as Chief Secretary to the Treasury. Boateng looks set to be demoted to a ministerial job, although it is believed he would still attend Cabinet meetings.

Blair will have been Labour leader for 10 years tomorrow and will purge failing ministers, to cap his highly pressurised week.

Culture secretary Tessa Jowell and Trade and Industry Secretary Patricia Hewitt are also set for moves but will probably remain in the Cabinet. Jack Straw, John Reid, Charles Clarke, Peter Hain, David Blunkett and Alastair Darling will stay.

Ms Kelly will most likely be joined by education minister Alan Johnson and Foreign Office Minister Mike O'Brien as newcomers.

Chancellor Brown will stay at the Treasury until Blair is either ousted or quits.

There is still speculation that Blair could quit this week.

A Westminster insider said: "We are hoping Blair will stay but one can never be sure that will be the case.

"A reshuffle would certainly freshen up the party. Ruth Kelly's name will definitely be there or thereabouts."