Ed Miliband evoked Labour’s famous 1945 election victory in his new year’s message yesterday, saying the post war period shows it’s possible to “build a country that works for everyday people.”

In a video posted online the Labour Party leader labelled 2015 the “year of possibility” where people can choose a change of direction through the general election.

He said the choice was between the Tories’ “old ways” and Labour plans to spark a “recovery that reaches your kitchen table.”

Mr Miliband pointed out 2015 will mark the 70th anniversary of the end of the second world war.

And he suggested the “opportunity for change” was similar to that seized by “our parents and grandparents who overcame the most daunting odds to rebuild.”

“After the war, badly battered and deeply in debt, Britain rose again,” he said.

“We built the NHS, a modern welfare state, homes for people to live in and still dealt with our debts.

“We set the stage for a generation of progress for working people.

“Today’s challenges are different. But if we could walk through those fires, we surely can meet the problems of our time.

“We can build a country that works for everyday people.”

Mr Miliband drew hopeful comparisons with Clem Attlee’s Labour government, which had its achievements celebrated last year in Ken Loach’s film Spirit of ‘45.

But, speaking from his family home in London, he insisted: “This isn’t about idle dreams or empty promises.

“It’s about a real, concrete plan.”