 On 14 April 2010 the BBC reported that Leese had stood down temporarily from his post as leader of Manchester City Council after having been arrested on suspicion of the common assault of his 16-year-old stepdaughter.He was released after accepting a police caution and admitting striking his stepdaughter across the face.On 2 October 2019, during a full council meeting, Liberal Democrat opposition councillor Richard Kilpatrick was questioning council leader Richard Leese on the council's preparations for schools and hospitals in the event of a no-deal Brexit.