Reform council boss quits after 'look at the women' redundancy leak

Dan Harrison, the leader of Leicestershire County Council, has resigned after leaked recordings revealed his comments about potential staff redundancies. According to the BBC ^[1], Harrison announced his departure on Monday, stepping down from the role he held since May 2025. The move follows a viral clip in which he described 76 council solicitors as "incompetent" before stating, "What I want to look at now is the women."

The Daily Mail reported ^[2] that the remarks were made during an internal meeting where Harrison suggested buying in services to replace the solicitors. He added that driving "massive redundancies" quickly might cause "the liberals" to walk away. Although Harrison initially told the BBC he would not step down, he later reversed course after consulting with deputy leader Kevin Crook and group whip Andrew Hamilton-Gray.

Harrison issued an unreserved apology, claiming the comments were made in a heated meeting under the expectation of privacy. He insisted that no instruction had been given to officers and that staffing decisions were not being taken based on gender. Despite his apology, he maintained that the remarks were taken completely out of context.

The Conservative opposition had called for Harrison’s resignation, with group leader Deborah Taylor stating his position had become untenable. Taylor emphasised that serious concerns regarding the treatment of council employees required answers. All 15 Tory councillors had pushed for an emergency vote to remove him from the leader’s role.

Harrison confirmed he would remain as a councillor representing the Ashby-de-la-Zouch division. He described leading the county council’s first Reform administration as the "honour of his life." Meanwhile, Labour MPs Jeevun Sandher and Amanda Hack criticised the Reform administration for being embroiled in scandal rather than delivering for residents.

The Reform group remains the largest party on the authority, running it as a minority administration. The incident highlights growing tensions within the council, following recent conduct breaches by other Reform councillors.