Britain's first black prime minister will be a Conservative, David Cameron will claim today.

In a bid to woo ethnic minority voters, Mr Cameron will say the Tories are the party of opportunity for people from all backgrounds who want to get on.

He will also set out targets for ethnic minority recruitment designed to persuade voters the party is on their side.

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Mr Cameron will say the Conservative party will one day be the party of the first black or Asian prime minister

Highlighting Margaret Thatcher’s record as Britain’s first – and only – female prime minister, he will say: ‘We’re the party of the first female prime minister. The party of the first Jewish prime minister. And I know that, one day, we’re going to be the party of the first black or Asian prime minister.’

‘I want this to be an opportunity country, where no matter who you are or where you’re from; whether you’re black, white, Asian or mixed race – whether you’re from the inner city or rural heartlands, you can make the most of your talents.’

The claim will be seen as a tacit endorsement of the leadership ambitions of Culture Secretary Sajid Javid, the only current Asian Tory seen as a potential contender.

It is designed to tackle the Tories’ long-standing difficulty in attracting support from Britain’s growing ethnic minority electorate.

The claim will be seen as a tacit endorsement of the leadership ambitions of Culture Secretary Sajid Javid (pictured), the only current Asian Tory seen as a potential contender

A report by the Runnymede Trust think-tank last week warned that suspicion of the Tories among ethnic minority voters could cost the party nine seats at next month’s election and 50 within a decade.

Some senior Tories believe Mr Cameron has done too little to address the party’s reputation among ethnic minority voters – and warn that the party could face similar problems to the US republicans unless it acts quickly.

Mr Cameron will today pledge to ensure that, by the next election, at least 20 per cent of Tory candidates in seats where a Conservative MP is standing down will be from an ethnic minority background. The figure this year is 18 per cent.

At the time of the last census in 2011, 14 per cent of the UK population was identified as black or minority ethnic.

But the Prime Minister will today set targets to achieve 20 per cent ethnic representation in the recruitment of police officers. The current figure is just 8.3 per cent.

A 10 per cent target will also be set for the armed forces, to hit 20 per cent in the long term. At present the figure for recruits is 5.7 per cent.

New targets will also be set to increase by 20 per cent the number of black and ethnic minority students going to university, being offered apprenticeships and getting jobs. Mr Cameron will say: ‘Our mission is to make sure that as our economy recovers, people from every community share in that prosperity.

‘But there are more specific things we can do to make sure we spread opportunity to every community. So I’m setting some ambitious but realistic aspirations for the next five years, specifically for the black and minority ethnic communities.’