A galaxy of stars gave their backing to Ed Miliband today in video messages broadcast before his keynote Labour Party conference speech.

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson urged Labour to "believe in our future" to take on the "fragmented" coalition Government.

Harry Potter star Jason Isaacs, Rome actor James Purefoy and Kate Walsh from the Apprentice also recorded messages explaining why they backed Labour.

Sir Alex, who has a long association with Labour, said: "If you look at this fragmented coalition we've got, how can you possibly have a team with different views and different visions?

"It can only get worse for them too. So this is an opportunity for us to get forward, be a team, stick together, believe in our principles, believe in our future.

"It's so important."

Purefoy attacked the coalition over the NHS, saying: "We are all realising now that those 10, 12, 13 years that Labour were in, as we were coming towards the end of it those waiting lists were going down and down and down.

"What happens under a Tory government? Always, it starts going up and up and up as the cuts start biting."

Isaacs said: "With the right leadership, I think we can achieve miraculous things."

The gathering in Liverpool was also shown a video message recorded by Burmese pro-democracy campaigner Aung San Suu Kyi which was smuggled out of the country.

She said in Burma "we have been dreaming of annual party conferences" but "we have not yet achieved our dream because we have not yet achieved democracy".

She added: "Democracy is not the easy option. We chose the struggle for democracy simply because we believe it is the best system that has yet been thought up by man.

"It is a system that values individuals and it is a system that will help our people to live with self-respect, with prosperity, with freedom."

She added: "The Labour Party has a proud history of working for the common man and we here in Burma are trying to work for the common man."