Reform council chief who wanted women fired first quits

A Reform council leader has stepped down after it emerged he had suggested women on the council should be targeted for redundancy. Dan Harrison quit as leader of Leicestershire County Council on Monday after his controversial comments were leaked online. At an internal meeting last week, Mr Harrison said 76 council solicitors would be made redundant and branded them 'incompetent'. He then said: 'What I want to look at now is the women.'

The remarks were later released on social media. According to the recording, Mr Harrison said: 'There's 76 solicitors [who] 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.' Before standing down, he apologised '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'.

Dan Harrison, pictured, quit as leader of Leicestershire County Council on Monday after his controversial comments were leaked online (file image) Mr Harrison added: 'However, I would like to stress that these discussions were just that, and I have not given any instruction or direction to officers in these matters and that there has not been any discussion nor agreement on these issues with officers. 'I unequivocally reject any suggestion that staffing decisions are being taken based on gender.

These comments made in that meeting were taken completely out of context.' All 15 Conservative councillors had called for an emergency vote to try to remove him as leader of the council. Deborah Taylor, leader of the Conservative group on the council, said: 'The serious concerns raised over recent days, particularly around the treatment of council employees and the comments contained in leaked recordings, left us feeling that his position had become untenable.'

Mr Harrison said he had taken the decision to stand down following advice from senior Reform colleagues. In a statement, he added: 'It has been the honour of my life to lead the first Reform UK administration at County Hall following the county council elections in May 2025.'