Sir Richard Charles Leese, CBE (born 21 April 1951) is a former British politician who served as the leader of Manchester City Council from 1996 to 2021. He has been a member of the Labour Party since 1984. On 6 May 2017, Leese was appointed Deputy Mayor for Business and Economy by Mayor of Greater Manchester, and former Health Secretary, Andy Burnham. He stepped down as leader of the council on 1 December 2021 and resigned from the council on 4 January 2022, having spent 38 years as a councillor.