John Burton said the former Prime Minister’s religion “affected his policy-making on just about everything” and he believed that “good should triumph over evil,” said Mr Burton, who worked for Mr Blair in Sedgefield for 24 years.

He said: “It’s very simple to explain the idea of Blair the Warrior. It was part of Tony living out his faith. Christian faith is part of him, down to his cotton socks. He believed strongly at the time, that intervention in Kosovo, Sierra Leone - Iraq too - was all part of the Christian battle.”

He was determined to follow his faith despite being “virtually gagged on the whole question of religion” while in Number 10, added Mr Burton.