London - Former British prime minister Tony Blair has given an insight into what he believes is an inseparable link between politics and religion.

Blair, in an interview published in the Times newspaper Tuesday, said he now felt free to talk about his faith.

"If you are somebody of faith it affects your politics, it affects everything that you do," he said.

"But when I was prime minister, if I was to give interviews on faith, I'd just have ended up with a great load of trouble."

Blair, who is now a Middle East peace envoy while also handling a number of high-profile banking consultancy jobs, recently confirmed his conversion to the Roman Catholic faith.

He is also planning to set up a Faith Foundation, an organization aimed at "saving faith from extremism."

Blair, who stepped down in May, told the Times that faith is the issue that will be the driving force behind his life.

"People will think this is a piece of spin, but I've always been as interested in religion as in politics. I see this over time as the rest of my life's work," Blair said. (dpa)