LONDON, May 5 (Xinhua) -- To reassert his grip of the government, British Prime Minister Tony Blair is carrying out the most dramatic cabinet reshuffle on Friday after his Labor Party suffered its worst defeat at the polls since he took power.

    The reshuffle is expected to be far-ranging, with the new line-up due to be made public sometime during Friday.

    Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott, who has been dogged by sex scandals for quite a few days before the local elections, seems to be the first one to loss job, while Home Secretary Charles Clarke is also expected to be among the casualties.

    But Clarke, one of Blair's closest allies, might stay in the cabinet, if he lost his job as home secretary for "mistakenly" release of 1,000 criminals without deporting them, and one of the released criminal was later even proved to be killer of a policewoman.

    The reshuffle is thought to be a hint to when Blair, who has been in power for nine years, will make good on his pledge to resign sometime during his current term to make way for his Finance Minister and right-hand man, Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown, some western media reported.

    Prescott emerged against shouting like "Are you going to resign, Mr Prescott?" To which the deputy prime minister said nothing.

    Prescott, who as deputy Prime Minister has been directly in charge of housing and urban development, has been tainted by his admission of an extramarital affair with a secretary 24 years his junior, and two other women.

    Foreign Secretary Jack Straw was also seen walking through Downing Street's black front door, giving a thumb's up to door-stepping reporters.

    The Labor Party was dealt a heavy blow in England's local elections as overall results showed on Friday that Labor lost 251 councilors.

    As ballot papers are still being counted in certain areas, Labor has so far lost overall control of 16 councils, which is said to be one of the worst on record for the party in a local election but the party denied it was a "meltdown" as some had predicted.

    The opposition Conservative Party, however, turned out to be a major winner, enjoying their best results since 1992.

    The Conservatives gained 250 councilors and took control of several councils in London and the southeast, despite its failure to in northern cities such as Manchester.

    Turnout, always lower in local elections, was estimated at 36 percent.

    Adding to the humiliation, Labor lost its firm grip on the working-class east London council of Barking and Dagenham, with the small, anti-immigrant British National Party clinching 11 seats. Enditem