Tony Blair has issued a rallying call to voters saying he wants a mandate to renew the health and education systems.

Speaking at Labour's morning press conference on Thursday said he would spend the last days of the campaign on a "crusade".

"Our cause in a Labour second term and our crusade every day in the last week of this campaign will be to put schools and hospitals first. A cause and a crusade not just for the next seven days but for the next five years," the prime minister said.

Following the unveiling of a poster urging voters to turn out on polling day, Labour's press conference saw Gordon Brown, Tony Blair and Margaret Beckett claim that only Labour could deliver on health and education.

Blair repeated the manifesto pledge to employ 20,000 more nurses plus 10,000 extra teachers and doctors. The Conservatives, by comparison, had made no such pledges, he said.

He revealed that the party would be focusing on the two issues for the last seven days leading up to polling day.

"The whole last week of this campaign will be about schools and hospitals first - and every day, every hour that's left of this election we will be fighting in every constituency in Britain asking people to join us in this cause," he said.

Blair said he shared the ambitions of Britain.

"Long after the last poster has been launched, long after the last press conference is over, and long after the last vote has been cast what will count is whether the hard working families of Britain have better schools for their children and the best health care when they need it. We share their hope and we share their ambition," he said.

The Conservatives, however, have repeated their belief that the issues of asylum, tax and the single currency resonate with voters.