On Monday more than a dozen Labour MPs, including Tam Dalyell and Tony Benn, attempted to force a vote on the government's policy on Kosovo so they could register their dissatisfaction with the progress of the raids.

Ms Short, the International Development Secretary, said her colleagues' opinions made her feel "ashamed".

She told the BBC: "This conflict makes me and many others think of the Nazis and Hitler.

"There were people then who thought Hitler was a good thing, there were people who opposed action being taken against Hitler and I am ashamed that there are some members of the Labour Party who are saying outrageous things defending what Serbia is doing."

She added: "The arguments of some of my colleagues that I have listened to, they make me feel ashamed and I feel they are equivalent to the people who appeased Hitler.

Ms Short, who during Neil Kinnock's leadership resigned from Labour's front bench when she voiced doubt over the allied aims in the Gulf War, added: "This is a very serious thing to say but it is what I think."

But Ms Short's outburst was dismissed by senior Labour backbencher Gwyneth Dunwoody, who though in favour of the air strikes is opposed to sending ground troops to Kosovo.

Ms Dunwoody said it was "one of Clare's endearing qualities to go over the top".

"It really is rather silly. The House of Commons is the place where all of us have the right to express our point of view.

"She must not try and misunderstand the views of those of us who believe, for very good reasons, that if you are going to fight a war you must be quite clear about what you are doing and how you are doing it."

Ms Dunwoody also suggested Ms Short's strong views may have been a result of her "involvement with the refugees" in Kosovo.

She added: "Democracy means that you not only have an army that is made up of individuals but that you have a House of Commons that has the right to protect the interests of those individuals."