Tony Blair has outraged his own party by secretly pressing for Britain to become a missile base for the U.S. 'Son of Star Wars' defence programme.

His personal lobbying of President Bush was condemned as a "disgraceful" surrender of sovereignty to Washington.

MPs protested that Parliament had not been made aware of Mr Blair's active negotiations with the president. Sources said even the Cabinet was not told of the plans.

Key elements of the futuristic defence system could include a silo of ten anti-ballistic missiles which would be fired from U.S. bases in Britain to intercept longrange weapons from the Middle East, specifically Iran.

The move raised fears of a 21st Century Cold War. There was concern that Britain might be thrust into the front line of a new arms race and would be an obvious target for attack by America's enemies.

Mr Blair's secret dealings could prove a major problem for his expected successor Gordon Brown, who could be forced to tackle a major back-bench rebellion against the plans during his first months in office. Dozens of Labour MPs are already expected to stage a revolt next month against the Government's plans to replace the Trident nuclear deterrent, and backbenchers said the same level of opposition to the Star Wars programme is likely.

The Chancellor has made clear he wants to set a new robust tone with Washington when he takes over as Prime Minister, probably by July.

Critics seized on Mr Blair's overtures to President Bush as fresh evidence that he is the junior partner in the so-called "special relationship". Left-wing Labour MP and leadership candidate John McDonnell said: 'This disgraceful surrender of sovereignty by Tony Blair will put future generations at risk of nuclear and terrorist attack.

"We cannot allow him to transform our country into a nuclear aircraft-carrier for the Bush regime."

The issue has been given added urgency following a report this week which found Iran has massively extended its nuclear programme, in defiance of the UN.

Downing Street confirmed that Mr Blair wanted Britain to be considered for a site for a silo of ten interceptors to bring down intercontinental ballistic missiles from the Middle East.

A No 10 spokesman said: 'The Prime Minister thinks it is a good idea that we are part of the consideration by the U.S.

"We believe it is an important step towards providing missile defence coverage for Europe, of which we are part."

Downing Street claimed discussions were at an "early stage". But it is likely they are beyond simple preliminaries, as the U.S. wants a decision on a site by next year. The interceptors would become operational in 2012.

Although Britain would be protected as part of the defence shield, the plans would make the country a prime target for a direct missile strike and terrorist attack. Defence experts warned it also risked fuelling a new arms race between U.S., Russia and China.

America has been developing a missile shield to protect itself and allies from the threat of attack from North Korea and Iran since 2002.

The cost of locating the silo would be met by the U.S. But defence experts said it would create a huge drain on British resources, including extra police officers drafted in to support security against protesters and terrorists.

U.S. officials tried to play

down the row yesterday, claiming that Britain was not the first choice for the site, as other possible locations had been identified in the Czech Republic and Poland.

David Johnson, deputy to the U.S. Ambassador to London, told Radio 4: "As we go forward there may be opportunities for us to talk to other countries about their needs, but right

Britain controversially agreed to upgrade its early warning radar station at the Fylingdales RAF base, on the North Yorkshire moors, in preparation for it to work with the U.S. antimissile system. It is thought Fylingdales has been ruled out in favour of another site, possibly at Lakenheath or Mildenhall in Suffolk.

The Economist reported that Mr Blair had been waging a campaign since last autumn to secure the site for Britain.

In 2001, more than 100 Labour MPs backed a Commons motion opposing Britain's involvement in a Star Wars system.

The names of more than 30 Labour backbenchers are on a current motion warning against military action against Iran and calling for a diplomatic solution, tabled by former Cabinet Minister Nick Brown, a close ally of the Chancellor.