ED MILIBAND’S speech to the Labour conference has put the party back on the road to power, Southampton MPs said last night.

Southampton Itchen MP John Denham and Southampton Test MP Alan Whitehead – who both supported Mr Miliband’s leadership campaign – believe the new Labour leader’s acknowledgement that the party had got things wrong was the first step to regaining voters’ trust.

Mr Miliband told the conference in Manchester: “We have to understand why people felt they couldn’t support us. We have to show we understand the problems people face today. This will require strong leadership. It won’t always be easy. You might not always like what I have to say. But you’ve elected me leader and lead I will. This country faces some tough choices. And so do we. And we need to change.”

Mr Denham, commenting on the speech, said: “He understands that if we want support from voters in the south again it will be by being prepared to say we got things wrong and needed to change, and that we went out and listened to voters.

“People will have heard that we need to change to win back people who didn’t vote for us last time, and some of the things they were angry about they were right to be. We will do something about it and challenge the ideas we got wrong.”

Southampton Test MP Alan Whitehead said: “Under Ed’s leadership we can win the election. He presented who he was and why he’s the right person to lead the party. He wants to do things differently, and has an optimistic view about how we can rebuild Britain after the deficit has been reduced.”