Religious leaders have paid qualified tribute to the premiership of Tony Blair on the announcement of his intention to stand down in June.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, said the Prime Minister understood “why religion matters” and the importance of faith communities, but he emphasised that the Church of England had not always agreed with his decisions. “There have naturally been differences of vision and judgment between the Prime Minister and the Church of England, not least over the Iraq war, but he has been consistently willing to allow these disagreements to be voiced and discussed openly,” he said.

Dr Williams wished the Prime Minister well in the future: “I hope and pray that his recognition of the contribution of faith and faith communities to the common good of our society will prove to be one of his most enduring legacies; one that will be built on by his successors."

The Jewish community, represented by the Board of Deputies, had words of admiration for Mr Blair’s commitment to Israel and the Middle East peace process. Henry Grunwald, QC, the Board’s President said Mr Blair had been a “true friend of Israel” during the conflict with Lebanon in July 2005. “Mr Blair’s clear understanding of the existential threats faced by Israel and its desire for peace with its neighbours will be long remembered.”

Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari, Secretary-General of the Muslim Council of Britain said Mr Blair's leadership had moved the country towards a position where "religious discrimination was regarded as just as reprehensible as racial discrimination". But he added that there had been "some serious errors of judgement" in the Premier's support of George Bush in Afghanistan and Iraq. "These errors - and the horrendous cost in human lives that have resulted and continue to result from them - may well overshadow the many other more positive achievements of Tony Blair," he said.

The Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Cormac Murphy O'Connor, said he couldn't comment on all of Tony Blair's policies, but recognised "serious divisions of opinion" on the war in Iraq. "History will make a better judgement than today." he said.

The Cardinal wished the Blair family well for the future and said, “I would warmly commend his efforts in securing peace in Northern Ireland and his constant concern for the eradication of poverty in Africa."

The Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, who has previously described Mr Blair’s decision to invade Iraq as a “breach of international law”, said that such disagreement should not detract from the “many remarkable things” Mr Blair had achieved. “Tony Blair has been committed to righting many of the wrongs he inherited during his first term, not least in the establishment of the Stephen Lawrence inquiry and his concerted attempts to alleviate poverty in the UK and abroad,” Dr Sentamu said. The Archbishop praised Mr Blair’s commitment to maintaining the union between law and morality and religion.