Before Harrison’s resignation, the council’s 15 Tory councillors had called for an emergency vote to try to remove him from the leader’s role.
Group leader of the Conservative group, Deborah Taylor, said: “That was not a decision we took lightly.
“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.
“His resignation brings an end to his leadership, but it does not mean those concerns should simply be forgotten.
“There are still questions that deserve answers, and it is important that the council learns from what has happened.”
The Reform group remains the largest party on the authority, and runs it as a minority administration.
In a statement, Jeevun Sandher and Amanda Hack – Labour MPs for Loughborough and North West Leicestershire respectively – said: “Since taking office in 2025, the Reform UK administration has become increasingly embroiled in controversy and scandal, rather than focusing on delivering for the residents of Leicestershire.
“This is far from an isolated incident. Just last week, councillor [Joseph] Boam was found to have breached the council’s own code of conduct through his actions against the former monitoring officer, while other Reform councillors have also been forced to apologise to residents over their behaviour. All of this in less than two years.
“Leicestershire residents deserve better.”
