Dan Harrison, leader of Leicestershire County Council, resigned from his position on Monday after leaked recordings revealed his controversial remarks about potential staff redundancies. The comments, made during an internal meeting, suggested targeting women for job losses.
Harrison stated that 76 council solicitors were to be made redundant due to their perceived incompetence, and that the service would be bought in externally. He then reportedly said, "What I want to look at now is the women." He added that "if we suddenly drove massive redundancies the liberals would walk away," indicating a concern about political repercussions.
Before his resignation, Harrison issued an apology to the staff and officers of the County Council for any hurt, distress, or offense caused by the comments. He stressed that the remarks were made during a heated meeting with the expectation of privacy and were taken out of context. He also unequivocally rejected any suggestion that staffing decisions were being based on gender.
The opposition Conservative group on the council had called for an emergency vote to remove Harrison, with group leader Deborah Taylor stating his position had become untenable due to concerns over the treatment of employees and the leaked recordings.
Harrison announced his decision to step down after consulting with senior Reform colleagues. He expressed that it had been "the honour of my life" to lead the first Reform UK administration at County Hall, which took power following the county council elections in May 2025.