A draft Queen's Speech that will lay out the Westminster Government's agenda for the political year will be unveiled by Gordon Brown this week as he attempts to regain political momentum after a calamitous few months that has left the Labour Party at it lowest-ever level of electoral support.

The proposed legislation, expected to include measures to reform education and the NHS in England, will try to lever Labour from its political nadir by mapping out the direction of policy for the forthcoming year.

However, all the signs yesterday were that the worst is still to come for Labour with an opinion poll warning that the party is set to lose a crucial by-election while the Prime Minister continues to be the subject of a series of unflattering character studies in the rash of Blair-era memoirs appearing in the press.

An opinion poll for next week's Crewe and Nantwich constituency by-election put the Conservatives on 43% with Labour trailing on 39% and the Liberal Democrats on 16%.

The figures represent a 10% swing since the last General Election and if repeated next week on polling day would turn the late Gwyneth Dunwoody's 7078 majority into a Conservative majority of more than 1000.

Defeat for Labour would be another hammer blow for Mr Brown after the party's drubbing in the English local elections and would raise fresh questions about his ability to lead Labour to victory at a General Election.

Mr Brown also took a bruising from a survey of 5000 voters, showing he has suffered a devastating collapse in his public standing. Three-quarters of those surveyed thought the Prime Minister was doing a bad job and his rival David Cameron scored more on every key leadership quality, including competence, trust, likeability and strength.

Mr Brown was also described as a "frustrating, annoying, bewildering and prickly" man who could "go off like a bloody volcano" by John Prescott, the former Deputy Prime Minister, in the latest installment of his autobiography.

In a revealing insight into the political relationship that dominated a decade of British politics, Mr Prescott said that Tony Blair was often scared of Mr Brown and that he urged the then Prime Minister at various times to sack his Chancellor. Mr Prescott also suggested to Mr Brown that he resign and fight Mr Blair from the back benches after the Prime Minister reneged on vague promises to stand down in his favour.

Mr Prescott's account had to contend for attention with the revelations by Mr Blair's wife, Cherie, who surprised the political world with the early publication of her £1m autobiography. In her book, she accuses Mr Brown of "rattling the keys" of Downing Street over Mr Blair's head to try to force him out and reveals that her husband would have stood down before the 2005 general election if Mr Brown had been prepared to back Mr Blair's plans for city academies and foundation hospitals.

Another recent autobiographer, former Labour fundraiser Lord Levy, popped up on television yesterday to repeat his claim that Mr Brown must have known about the secret loans from wealthy party backers which led to the "cash-for-honours" police inquiry.

Aides to the Prime Minister, however, dismissed the Levy allegation as "complete, unsubstantiated garbage". Mr Brown has always insisted that, as Chancellor, he was careful to distance himself from party funding matters.

Foreign Secretary David Miliband - tipped as likely successor if Mr Brown was forced out - defended the Prime Minister, insisting that he did not recognise Mr Prescott's description of his boss. He said the government now needed to "get on with the job" it was elected to do.

However, another figure from the Blair era, former Transport Secretary Stephen Byers, put Mr Brown on a countdown to regain public support.

"The electoral clock is ticking for Gordon Brown," said Mr Byers. "The next few months will be make or break time for the Prime Minister and his Labour government."