LONDON, Dec 9: Hastening perhaps to reassure Britain’s Muslim community some of whose members must have felt greatly disturbed over his blunt remarks on Friday about those who refuse to integrate into British society, Prime Minister Tony Blair said he would not mind if any of his children wanted to marry a Muslim and “I can imagine a day when Britain has a Muslim prime minister.”

Mr Blair made these remarks in a newspaper interview published on Saturday. The PM speaking exclusively to The Sun remarked: “They said there would never be a woman prime minister, but there was. It would depend on how good they were.

“People would judge who was best for the prime minister’s job. It would depend on how good they were,” he said.

He also said he would not mind if any of his children wanted to marry a Muslim, saying: "I would respect it, if that was their decision and they were in love and happy."

He said Britain was a haven for all people and praised The Sun’s interview with Arsenal’s French footballer Thierry Henry, in which he claimed Britain was one of the world’s most tolerant countries. Mr Blair said: “I read it. I thought it was excellent. And I think Thierry Henry is a really great bloke, by the way.”

The PM said Britain had changed for the better in the last 30 years, with offensive remarks and stupid stereotypes driven out of everyday conversation. According to figures, only 12 per cent of people would mind if a close relative married a black or Asian person.

Mr Blair again acknowledged that he would not have a problem if his son or daughter brought home a Muslim. But he again defended Commons Leader Jack Straw’s comments over the veil while pointing out that most extremists were young men, not women in niqabs.