ALEX SALMOND has revealed how his Christian faith is a driving force in his professional life, influencing his political decisions.

While other leaders, including Tony Blair, have refused to discuss religion for fear of prompting a negative public reaction, the first minister said he does not believe voters would hold it against him.

Blair said in 2007 that politicians who speak about their faith are often regarded as “nutters”.

The former prime minister admitted after leaving office that his faith was “hugely important" in influencing his decisions during his decade at No 10.

In an interview with The Tablet, the Catholic newspaper, Salmond described Blair’s remarks as “ludicrous”, adding: “I don’t think we should get to the state in this or any other country that if someone has a faith they are regarded as curious.

“Given that \ had that framework — and it’s not for me to question his personal beliefs — then why on earth was he employing folk who so clearly didn’t?”

A Presbyterian by birth and upbringing, Salmond added: “I do have a strong faith and always have had. I’m not a regular churchgoer now but I’m in church a lot — to do readings, to attend events and so on. I had a strong church upbringing, which I think has been invaluable to me in terms of a moral compass — of some idea of what’s acceptable and what is not acceptable.

“I have a Presbyterian nature in that I like its ideas of individual responsibility and democracy. I’m naturally suspicious of people who wear religion heavily on their sleeves — that’s just not me and my style.”

As a child, Salmond said he preferred to listen to Church of Scotland sermons than go to Sunday school, and he attended the kirk almost every Sunday until he was 18. His grandfather was a senior elder at St Ninian’s Craigmailen Church in Linlithgow, and Salmond takes his middle names from the minister who arrived at the church six months before he was born, Rev Elliot Anderson.

He last attended church as an ordinary parishioner at new year, when he read a sermon about the prodigal son at Strichen parish church.

Salmond also claims in the interview that MSPs should be given the power to set their own policy on abortion, claiming that Scotland is “perfectly capable” of dealing with the issue. The first minister, who favours reducing the legal time limit for terminations from

24 weeks to 20, said it was “extraordinary” that the Labour government did not include the measure in the devolution settlement.

“Abortion should be a matter — a key matter — for the Scottish parliament. We’re perfectly capable as a society of dealing with the question.

“It’s been, correctly in my view, treated as a conscience issue in Westminster and would, in my view, be treated as a conscience issue in this parliament,” he said.

But Salmond is not pushing for the power to be devolved immediately because there is not cross-party consensus on the issue at Holyrood.

The first minister’s relationship with church groups has helped the SNP win growing support, particularly among Catholic voters disillusioned with Labour.

His support for responsibil-ity for abortion laws to be ultimately transferred is backed by the Catholic church, whose hierarchy has been critical of the Labour party.

The first minister has sought to accommodate Catholic thinking where possible. He has given his support to Catholic schools and his administration lobbied Whitehall for Catholic adoption agencies to get an “indefinite” exemption from legislation on gay adoption.

Sceptics may suggest his latest comments are an attempt to curry favour ahead of the by-election in Glasgow North East, where there is a high proportion of Catholic voters, but the interview had been planned for several months.

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