LONDON - With his fate tied to the chaos in Iraq, Prime Minister Tony Blair faces his ruling Labour Party next week, hoping to calm anger over the war and shore up his government ahead of national elections.

The annual convention in the English seaside resort of Brighton will likely be the last before Britain goes to the polls, and Blair will try to shift focus from Iraq so he can win a third term for Labour.

Earlier this month, Blair spelled out his determination to shift the agenda back to domestic issues such as schools and hospitals.

But the kidnapping of Briton Kenneth Bigley by Islamic militants in Iraq, coupled with almost daily car bombings and street fighting, have again derailed Blair's plans and thrust the divisive war back onto the front pages. Bigley was shown on television Wednesday begging for his life.

The theme of this year's five-day conference, which opens Sunday, is building a "better life for hardworking families."

Ministers are expected to announce plans for new employment rights: longer maternity leave, increased pay for fathers during their two-week paternity break, and more flexible working hours for employees caring for elderly or disabled relatives.

As they approach elections widely expected in May 2005, Labour officials know they must capture the imagination of a public weary of the war and lacking trust in the prime minister.

"Of course, Iraq has been and continues to be a divisive issue and there will be those who want to talk about it at conference. But we think it is important to set that forward agenda."

Blair's first term in office, which began in 1997, was characterized by sweeping reforms and popular initiatives: devolved governments for Scotland and Wales; a ban on handguns; the introduction of a minimum wage; tentative reform of the tradition bound House of Lords; and the so-called "New Deal" to get the unemployed back into work.