A deputy police and crime commissioner has resigned after sending a Tweet that appeared to compare political opponents to Nazis.

Rachel Frosh, who began work in the role in Hertfordshire last December, retweeted a message which stated: “Dear #Socialists, embrace your inner #Nazism” earlier this month.

Dr Frosh, a Conservative councillor on Harpenden Town Council, quit on Wednesday despite saying she did not remember sending the message.

She said: "My considered view is that the origins of Nazism do lie in traditional socialism and when the BNP do well it is with disaffected Labour voters."

Dr Frosh added that she “believes most Labour politicians to be honourable decent people who do not have any truck with the politics of hate.

“The modern Labour party bears no resemblance to the BNP or similar parties.”

Dr Frosh, a NHS consultant, said she resigned to allow police commissioner David Lloyd to maintain “constructive working relations with local politicians of all parties "

“It would never be my intention to give that impression about Labour – who I have shared places with not only at Holocaust remembrances but also other human rights and anti-racist gatherings.”

Dr Frosh, who reportedly earned £20,000 from her two-day a week PCC position, has since deleted her Twitter account.