The Reform UK leader of Leicestershire County Council has announced he is standing down after comments he made about staff redundancies were leaked online. Dan Harrison announced on Monday that he would be stepping down from the role he has held since May 2025. He said he had made the decision after taking advice from senior Reform colleagues, and added deputy council leader Kevin Crook had taken over as acting leader.
It comes after Harrison had apologised after being recorded saying 76 council solicitors would be made redundant, branding them "incompetent", before saying "what I want to look at now is the women", in remarks which were then released on social media. In a statement, Harrison said it had been the "honour of his life" to lead the county council's first Reform administration. Harrison has said he will remain as a councillor, representing the Ashby-de-la-Zouch division.
The Conservative opposition at County Hall had called for Harrison to resign after his comments about staff were leaked. In the recording, Harrison said: "There's 76 solicitors will be made redundant. "We'll buy in the service, because [they are] incompetent.
They're not doing a good job. "What I want to look at now is the women so it is ongoing, I would like it to be at great pace but I can tell you now if we suddenly drove massive redundancies the liberals would walk away." Earlier on Monday, Harrison had told the BBC he would not be stepping down - but he later said he made his decision after talking to Crook and group whip Andrew Hamilton-Gray. He had apologised over the remarks, which were made on Tuesday during a Reform party meeting.
Despite his apology, Harrison had insisted his remarks had been taken out of context. "I would like to apologise unreservedly to the staff and officers of the county council for any hurt, distress or offence caused by the publication of these comments, which were made during a heated meeting with the expectation of privacy and confidentiality," Harrison said. The Reform group remains the largest party on the authority, and runs it as a minority administration.
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