Preferred Reform candidate to take over as county council leader

Reform UK councillors have selected their candidate to take over as leader of Leicestershire County Council following the resignation of Councillor Dan Harrison after controversial audio was leaked.

Leicestershire County Council’s Reform UK group has chosen Councillor Kevin Crook as their candidate for the council leader role.

That means Councillor Crook, who is the current acting leader, could take over permanently from Councillor Harrison after he stepped down on November 2 following leaked comments during a private meeting.

Councillor Crook said in a statement: “I’m delighted to be taking up the reins as the new leader.

"I’d like to thank my colleagues for entrusting me with their total support.

“It’s humbling to receive the support from every member.

"There’s much to be getting on with, but I’m looking forward to the future and leading this Reform administration from the front.”

A full council meeting will take place on December 2, during which councillors will vote on who they believe should be the new council leader.

Leicestershire County Council has 23 Reform councillors, 15 Conservatives, 11 Liberal Democrats, three Labour councillors, one Green Party councillor, one Restore Britain councillor, and one independent.

Councillor Andrew Hamilton-Gray, Reform’s chief whip at County Hall, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) Councillor Crook was ‘the best man for the job’.

He added: “We’ve had some big wins that have bolstered our position.

"Dan [Harrison] did a fantastic job as leader, and Kevin has shadowed Dan for the last 12 months.

“It’s really positive, and we have a unified approach going forward.”

The LDRS challenged Councillor Hamilton-Gray over Councillor Harrison’s comments after leaked audio revealed him saying that he was looking to sack 76 council solicitors, calling them ‘incompetent’ before saying he was going to ‘look at … the women’.

The Reform top boss said he felt Councillor Harrison’s comments were taken ‘out of context’ and that there had been a ‘witch hunt’ against the former leader after he took over.

“You don’t get through 50 years of politics without creating enemies,” he added.

He also said he wanted to ‘reassure [council] officers’ that Councillor Harrison’s comments ‘didn’t reflect the group’.

Councillor Deborah Taylor, leader of the Conservative Party opposition group, told the LDRS that ‘ongoing discussions’ were ongoing within the party about their next steps going into the December meeting.

She added: “I think there’s a big mountain to climb and I think they are still a very divided group.

“They need whoever the leader is to bring stability back.”

Liberal Democrat leader of the county council, Councillor Michael Mullaney, said his group would not be voting for Reform or Conservative candidates at the upcoming council meeting.

He added: “Obviously we have philosophical differences with Reform, which means we wouldn’t support them.

“We’ve never voted before with them, and we won’t vote for the Conservatives either.”

Labour group leader Councillor Jewel Miah said the party wouldn’t support a Reform leader as the party had caused ‘chaos’ over the past 18 months.

He added: “We’ve lost a leader and we’ve lost several cabinet members because of it.

“The morale of staff in the county council is quite low as well.”