Ofcom, the media regulator, has received over 8,200 complaints about an episode of Good Morning Britain on ITV. The complaints relate to two interviews in the same episode. The first interview involved presenter Ed Balls and his wife, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, which some viewers felt was a conflict of interest. The second interview featured criticism of how Balls and co-host Kate Garraway questioned Labour MP Zarah Sultana. ITV has defended the interviews, stating that they were “balanced, fair and impartial,” but Ofcom has yet to decide whether or not to investigate.
Both interviews related to the recent wave of violent unrest that has taken place across parts of the UK in recent weeks. After Cooper’s interview, Deadline reporter Jake Kanter tweeted that it was “baffling” that it was allowed to happen. Other viewers criticized the dynamic of the interview as “absurd” and “untenable.” Balls is a former Labour minister and is now a regular presenter on GMB, while Cooper was appointed home secretary following the general election last month. They have been married since 1998.
Sultana was interviewed by Balls and Garraway in a segment earlier in the same episode. The MP for Coventry South challenged Balls on an article he had previously written about immigration and suggested that the government should describe the riots as both racist and Islamophobic. Sultana later tweeted her thanks for the support she received after the Ofcom complaints were announced.
Despite the large number of complaints, an ITV spokesperson said that the interviews were balanced and impartial. They noted that the episode featured a range of interviews and discussions related to the recent unrest, including interviews with both James Cleverly, the Shadow Home Secretary, and Yvette Cooper. Ofcom has yet to make a decision on whether or not to investigate the complaints
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