An 18-year-old councillor has been put in charge of a multi-million-pound county council after the recently elected Reform UK leader stepped down for health reasons.
George Finch, who only recently switched allegiance from the Conservatives to Reform UK, is now interim leader of Warwickshire County Council - one of the largest local authorities in the Midlands - despite still being in his teens.
He takes over from Reform Councillor Rob Howard, who quit his post with immediate effect just weeks after the party's shock gains in the May local elections saw it form a minority administration in Warwickshire for the first time.
In a brief statement, Mr Howard, who had been at the helm for less than two months, said the decision was made 'with much regret'.
'The role of leader is an extremely demanding role and regretfully my health challenges now prevent me from carrying out the role to the level and standard that I would wish,' he added.
