Delegates and Labour MPs last night welcomed Tony Blair's stirring conference call to "reorder the world".

Echoing widespread sentiments among obviously moved conference delegates Eccles MP Ian Stewart said the speech was "the best ever" Blair performance.

Stewart went on to praise the political content of the PM's calls for a reordered international community - a vision he described as "world socialism" - a point of departure for a Labour leader often condemned for "spin not substance".

"It obviously related to the terrorist crisis but he broadened that out to recognises the underlying causes of terror, which is about deprivation and the lack of social justice. And turning quite properly to the issues that affect us here in Britain highlighting how we share these problems with the rest of the world. That's world socialism to me," he told ePolitix.

Derek Wyatt, MP for Sittingbourne and Sheppey, praised the speech as "the best I have ever heard from a politician about world politics".

Like many, Wyatt was reassured by Blair's strong internationalist tone, a measure he believed of the PM's positive influence on the US in a speech that singled out American state secretary Colin Powell but failed to name president George W Bush.

"We are going to take the Taliban at some stage, Afghanistan needs to be restored to the people - it is a savage country and in the civilised world that's hard to take," said Wyatt. "He has done everything with Colin Powell to cool the military situation down and I suspect that Tony Blair's quick action on September 11 stopped an American, gung-ho, wild West, nuke'em response," he told ePolitix.

Like many concerned at the prospect of military strikes on Afghanistan, Harrow councillor, Mitzi Green was reassured by the humanitarian focus and Blair's reaching out to Muslims. "His concern for the Afghan civilians and their refugees which was of great concern in the military build up. I think that concern is being listened to and that their needs will be met, so I am more reassured."

"What he said about Afghans and Muslims being our brothers and sisters really needed to be said," she told ePolitix.

Her fellow councillor, Jill Travis, praised a speech that took Labour themes to the world stage. "We're behind him and willing him on," she said.

"Tony Blair has moved on and become a complete world statesman and our themes of compassion, social justice and the many not the few have a broader canvass. I think its terrific."