'I just can't wait to get started

WHO IS THE FORMER MET POLICE OFFICER NAMED LINCOLNSHIRE'S REFORM LEADER

- BY JAMIE WALLER Local Democracy Reporter

POLITICS is a significant career change for Sean Matthews. The Reform councillor who was chosen to lead Lincolnshire County Council previously spent most of his working life as an officer in London's Met Police.

However, he has previously spoken about how he was interested in politics from a young age, claiming one of his earliest memories is Margaret Thatcher's election as Conservative leader. He served in the capital’s police force from March 1993 to February 2018, including time in royalty protection.

A Reform website says his time as a family liaison officer was “especially formative, shaping his belief in the importance of compassion, care, and living fully in the present”. In 2018, the father-of-four retired and moved close to Horncastle to be nearer family.