PARTY unity must be put on hold to have an “honest” post-election debate, a member of Labour’s post-election “truth and reconciliation” committee said yesterday. 

Islington councillor Alice Perry is part of the 11-member “learning the lessons from defeat” task force appointed by acting leader Harriet Harman on Sunday.

The Labour national executive member said that the Tories’ “disgraceful” attacks on human and trade union rights must be properly challenged in Parliament. But she told the Star: “We need to have an open debate in the party — I want people to be honest in their contributions. 

“There will be people saying conflicting things and that’s OK. We need to hear all the different voices. “Party unity is important but that will come when the leader is elected in September.”

Disagreement has already broken out over the committee’s name. Ms Harman dubbed it the “truth and reconciliation” committee, but chair Margaret Beckett pooh-poohed that suggestion yesterday. “It’s not called that at all,” she told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. Her remark came after leadership contender Yvette Cooper accused fellow candidates of “swallowing the Tory manifesto whole.”

Ms Perry also cautioned against assuming that the loss meant that Tory policies were more popular than Labour’s, saying that the party must “emotionally reconnect” with voters. “We need too look at our values and how we can connect with people and inspire them to vote for us,” she said.

“We don’t want to be just like the Tories, but not quite as bad.”