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Gordon Brown will today recall the Holocaust as he delivers a blunt warning to Iran to end its "totally abhorrent" threat to destroy Israel, calling on Tehran to abandon plans to develop nuclear weapons.

In the first speech by a British prime minister to the Israeli parliament, Brown will declare that Britain will stand by the country when its "very right to exist" is under threat.

Brown's remarks will be seen as a signal that Britain could be prepared to support a military strike against Iran if all other diplomatic routes fail, including a tightening of sanctions. The prime minister will tell Israeli MPs: "Britain is your true friend. A friend in difficult times as well as in good times, a friend who will stand beside you whenever your peace, your stability and your existence are under threat."