Staff working on ITV’s flagship news show Good Morning Britain have noticed their bosses huddled together for more meetings than usual in their west London studios. They also seem increasingly stressed in recent weeks.
The cause? Presenter Ed Balls, who is loved by the chefs – and even more relevantly by the show’s head girl, Susanna Reid.
But the former Labor MP and TV personality, nicknamed Red Ed thanks to his left-wing principles, is causing ITV a huge headache.
He has been notably absent from the GMB bench, where he has been part of the rotating line-up of guest presenters since 2021, since he and his wife, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, became embroiled in the ‘Taylorgate’ scandal that currently plaguing Keir Starmer’s government.
Last week it emerged that Ms Cooper had been involved in the discussions with Scotland Yard that led to officers agreeing to provide Ms Swift with a blue light police escort to and from her Wembley concerts in August.
Former Labor MP and TV personality Ed Balls was noticeably absent from the Good Morning Britain sofa alongside Susanna Reid
Complaints from GMB viewers surfaced when Balls interviewed his own wife – Home Secretary Yvette Cooper – after she appeared on the program in August.
It was then revealed that the Home Secretary had attended one of the singer’s concerts as a guest of her husband, who had received four free tickets from Ms Swift’s record label, Universal.
While his absence may simply be due to scheduling and it is not his turn (other presenters on the roster include Trisha Goddard and Richard Madeley), there is much speculation as to whether he should be on the TV news program at all to appear.
Balls and Cooper, who have been married since 1998 and have three children together, have been a political double act for decades.
Since their links to the latest scandal came to light, Balls has not set foot in the studio as bosses scramble to find a solution to the problem.
Balls’ ties to Labor – he joined the party when he was 16 and served as Minister for Children, Schools and Families under Tony Blair and later as Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer – make impartiality virtually impossible, and as a news program GMB should do don’t be biased.
While Reid, who launched the show just over a decade ago, ‘adores’ it, the upper echelons of ITV were promised ‘no more drama’ after the Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby saga on sister show This Morning.
A GMB insider tells me: ‘There are now serious disagreements about what is best to do. It’s all a headache, he’s highly rated as a broadcaster, but it’s now causing real problems.
‘ITV is desperately trying to find a solution. Ed is well liked by the team, but he has become a growing headache with accusations of bias that are ruining the show.”
The complaints began in August when Balls interviewed his wife on the show to discuss the wave of violent unrest sweeping Britain in the wake of the Southport killings.
Three little girls were stabbed to death and 10 others seriously injured during a Taylor Swift dance class on July 29, leading to a snowball of misinformation online that falsely claimed the killer was an illegal immigrant.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper’s appearance on the show sparked a barrage of objections on social media.
GMB’s main presenter Susanna Reid, who launched the show more than a decade ago, is said to ‘adore’ co-host Balls
GMB’s line-up of presenters includes: (from left) Charlotte Hawkins, Adil Ray, Richard Madeley, Susanna Reid, Kate Garraway, Ed Balls and Ranvir Singh
Some people love Balls. Others are ‘completely shocked’ that the show is opening itself up to accusations of political bias
Many thought Cooper was getting an ‘easy ride’, with Balls staunchly defending his partner and the government during the interview.
One irate critic wrote to the show: ‘How could you let Ed Balls interview his own wife, Yvette Cooper?! That’s not journalism, that’s a nice chat between spouses. Biased doesn’t even begin to disguise it.”
Sources at Good Morning Britain, which celebrated its tenth anniversary earlier this year, say the interview plunged the show into a “crisis” as they saw some of their viewers complain to Ofcom about bias in their political reporting. The television regulator registered 16,000 complaints about the program.
“It all went pretty crazy, the bosses all went out together,” said an insider. ‘ITV are so paranoid about what is written about their programs on social media, they see it as a benchmark for what viewers think, so they really take it to heart.
‘The bosses were furious. There were some very angry people.”
The dust was just beginning to settle when the news agenda began to be dominated by stories of Labor freebies and cronyism involving donor Lord Alli. Richard Madeley, a veteran daytime television host, quickly intervened.
Balls retired as an MP and saw his popularity soar when he went on Strictly Come Dancing in 2016
Some wonder if it was a calculated move. Other sources on the show point out that there is a rotation system and insist that it is simply Madeley’s turn.
Whatever the truth, it is the cause of a rift between GMB’s backroom staff. Some are calling it the biggest crisis since former host Piers Morgan quit over comments he made about Meghan Markle in 2021.
Some are fond of Balls, whose popularity soared after he quit as an MP and started Strictly Come Dancing in 2016. Others are ‘completely shocked’ that the show is opening itself up to accusations of political bias.
Yet he also has some strong allies on the show: Susanna Reid, the main presenter – and fellow Strictly veteran – is said to be ‘loving every second’ of appearing alongside him.
“She finds him an absolute delight,” said a colleague. ‘Susanna thinks he is loved by the viewers and is a very sharp interviewer. She feels completely comfortable sitting next to him, she thinks they have a good understanding.’
Since Morgan’s departure three years ago, she has of course been the queen of the show and, I’m told, her opinion counts.
‘There are strong opinions all over ITV, how can things be fair and unbiased when he’s hosting?’ says a source. ‘It’s not just about Yvette, it’s about other Labor MPs and an anti-Tory narrative. It is an incredible decision to appoint Ed.”
It was later revealed that the total number of complaints to Ofcom stood at 16,812, but the organization said it would not investigate.
However, ITV’s CEO Dame Carolyn McCall confirmed that Balls will not interview his wife again.
Speaking at the Royal Television Society conference, McCall said: ‘It was a very, very difficult morning, a national emergency was almost declared, and so we got very brief notice that the Home Secretary was coming to the show .
‘She did a whole round [of interviews]but it was unexpected and we believe it was fair and impartial.
‘And actually Ofcom has just ruled, but amazingly no one has noticed the fact that they are not pursuing these complaints because they believe it is fair, balanced and impartial.
“So, should we do it again? No. Was it impartial, fair and balanced? And did they behave professionally? Yes.’
How did Balls, a former Labor MP for Morley and Outwood in West Yorkshire, land such a prestigious job on a news program where bias must be avoided at all costs?
The answer goes back to 2021, when Morgan sensationally quit the program after five years. He had refused to apologize after questioning Markle’s claims that being part of the royal family affected her mental health.
Since then, they have failed to find a suitable male replacement and Balls was called up on a trial basis.
He was such a success that he took on more shifts when Ben Shephard started presenting This Morning alongside Cat Deeley in March.
“It was absolutely impossible to find the right replacement for Piers,” said a show insider.
‘You’d think someone would want the job, but that’s not the case. Ed has proven he’s good, but the big problem is he’s the ultimate politician-turned-ITV darling husband.
“And the worry is that it will all end in tears.”