Gordon Brown is to commence his political fightback with a special Cabinet meeting held in the West Midlands, it has been announced.
A Downing Street spokesman said that the meeting was scheduled for Monday September 8, when ministers will also be taking part in a series of other events in the region on the day where they will have an opportunity to "engage" with the public.
"We feel that it is consistent with the Government's approach that it wants to listen and learn from the experiences of people in this country," the spokesman said.
Cabinet meetings are normally held on a Tuesday morning in No 10, but the spokesman said it was hoped that in future more would take place away from the capital.
It was also confirmed that Chancellor Alistair Darling was taking over responsibility for coordinating Government activity in London this week while the Prime Minister continues his family holiday in Suffolk.
Mr Darling replaces Deputy Leader Harriet Harman who was the senior duty minister last week.
Nevertheless, the spokesman emphasised that Mr Brown continued to remain "closely involved" in dealing with key issues.
While he refused to be drawn on reports that ministers were considering a windfall tax on the energy companies, the spokesman confirmed that helping people who were struggling to pay their fuel bills due to soaring prices was now an "absolute priority" for the Government.
"We will continue to work with the energy companies and others to make sure that we provide help, including social tariffs, for those groups," he said.
"Protecting those who struggle to heat their homes is an absolute priority for the Government."
The No 10 spokesman refused to be drawn on the latest bout of speculation of a possible leadership challenge to Mr Brown.
Speculation intensified with the news that a group of Blairite ex-cabinet ministers such as Stephen Byers were set to unveil their own policy proposals in an apparent attempt to put further pressure on the Prime Minister.
It coincided with the leak at the weekend of a damning memo, apparently written by Tony Blair in the aftermath of last year's Labour Party conference, in which he accused his successor of a "lamentable" and "vacuous" performance.
The spokesman said: "The Prime Minister is on holiday. I am not going to get into speculation on the leadership in any way."
Pressed on whether the Prime Minister still had confidence in Foreign Secretary David Miliband - whose article last week setting out his vision for restoring Labour's political fortunes was seen as a rallying call to would-be rebels - the spokesman replied: "Yes".
Mr Miliband has now left for his family holiday in Minorca, but the party remains in a febrile mood following a calamitous run of electoral setbacks, culminating in last month's disastrous defeat in the Glasgow East by-election.
MPs will now be watching to see if a potential challenge emerges in the run-up to the Labour Party conference next month in Manchester.
Communities Secretary Hazel Blears had been lobbying for Cabinet meetings to be held outside the "Westminster bubble".
She proposed the move in a speech to the Social Market Foundation in May this year and has urged Mr Brown to adopt the idea.
She said: "I'm delighted that for the first time a Cabinet will be meeting outside of London. We will be taking politics closer to the people and hearing their concerns first hand."
