Reform UK stands by newly-elected councillor sacked by police
A Reform UK council leader has defended one of his newly-elected colleagues after it was revealed he had been sacked from his role as a police officer.Andrew Hamilton-Gray won a seat on Leicestershire County Council in this month's local elections when Reform became the largest party on the authority.However, it has emerged Hamilton-Gray was dismissed by Leicestershire Police last year after a misconduct hearing found he had called in sick, to travel to Spain, when he should have been working as a PC.Dan Harrison, who was elected as the council's leader on Wednesday, told the BBC the former police officer was an "honourable, decent man".
Hamilton-Gray was elected to the senior civic role as county council vice-chairman on Wednesday.Former Conservative council leader Deborah Taylor called for the councillor, who represents the Loughborough North West division, to be suspended claiming vital information about him had been withheld from the electorate.The BBC approached Hamilton-Gray about these remarks but he said he had been advised not to comment.When asked if there would be a suspension, Harrison said this would not happen."It's unfortunate, but he's an innocent person - he's not doing anything wrong," he said."I'm defending him strongly because he's an honourable, decent man."
Hamilton-Gray was sacked by Leicestershire Police for breaching professional standards on "honesty and integrity, discreditable conduct, orders and instructions, and duties and responsibilities".His page on LinkedIn advertises a consultancy advising "high-end dealerships in the luxury car market".Leicestershire Police Federation, which represented the former officer, has confirmed that his misconduct hearing related to selling luxury cars.The panel heard that the force had given him permission to run a car sales business in his own time.The misconduct panel heard that PC Gray, as he was then known, applied for leave to deliver a car to Barcelona in April 2023.Part of his leave request was rejected. But a week later, he booked a return ferry ticket from Portsmouth, returning over two days when he was scheduled to work.He reported in sick only hours before the outward sailing, the panel heard.A month later, two police officers stopped PC Gray in the passenger seat of a vintage red Porsche. The panel heard that he was giving a potential buyer a test drive while he was signed off sick.After PC Gray's dismissal, Leicestershire's then Chief Constable Rob Nixon described his conduct as "deliberate" and "planned" deception.Hamilton-Gray has been on the College of Policing barred list since his dismissal from the force.
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