Dan Harrison has resigned as leader of Leicestershire County Council after comments he made about staff redundancies were leaked online. He had held the position since May 2025, when Reform UK formed the authority’s first Reform administration.
Harrison announced his decision on Monday after consulting senior Reform colleagues. Deputy leader Kevin Crook has taken over as acting leader. Harrison will remain a councillor representing the Ashby-de-la-Zouch division.
The controversy followed the release of a recording from a Reform party meeting. In it, Harrison said 76 council solicitors would be made redundant and described them as “incompetent”. He also said he wanted to examine “the women”, prompting questions about whether staffing decisions were being discussed on the basis of gender.
Harrison apologised to council staff and officers for any hurt, distress or offence caused by the publication of the comments. He said the meeting had been heated and was expected to remain private and confidential, while insisting that the remarks had been taken out of context.
He also said he had not instructed or directed council officers on the issues discussed, and that there had been no discussions or agreement with officers about them. Harrison unequivocally rejected any suggestion that staffing decisions were being made based on gender.
Earlier on Monday, Harrison told the BBC he would not resign. He later said he changed his decision after discussions with Kevin Crook and group whip Andrew Hamilton-Gray.
The 15 Conservative councillors at County Hall had called for an emergency vote to remove Harrison from the leadership. Conservative group leader Deborah Taylor said the concerns about the treatment of council employees and the leaked remarks had made his position “untenable”.
Taylor said Harrison’s resignation ended his leadership but should not bring an end to questions about what had happened. She added that the council needed to learn from the episode.
Reform remains the largest party on the authority and continues to run the council as a minority administration.
Sources: BBC News UK.