Good Morning Britain (GMB) has sparked outrage among viewers following what many have described as 'disappointing' and 'condescending' remarks made by the show's hosts during a discussion about Scotland's newly granted bank holiday. The ITV programme, which aired on June 9, 2026, saw presenters Susanna Reid and Ed Balls return to the studio alongside regular contributors Gillian Keegan and the Mirror's Kevin Maguire to cover the day's top stories.
The Bank Holiday Debate
The panel focused on King Charles's decision to approve a one-off bank holiday in Scotland, allowing football fans to celebrate the nation's opening World Cup fixture. The match, against Haiti at the Gilette Stadium in Boston, is scheduled to kick off at 9pm local time, meaning supporters in the UK would need to stay up until 2am to watch the game.
Susanna Reid introduced the topic by stating: 'A lot of people are outraged this morning over the bank holiday in Scotland for their first World Cup opening game. King Charles has approved a new, one-off bank holiday to allow fans to watch the late-night World Cup clash. So, they get next Monday off.' She then questioned: 'Now, anyone watching might think, "Is that because the game is late on a Sunday, or early on a Monday morning?" No!'
Ed Balls added: 'This morning, in our five o'clock meeting, Susanna said, "I can't believe this, the game's on the Sunday morning, and they get bank holiday 24 hours later." I said, "What?" I couldn't believe it. It never occurred to me that that was going on.'
Controversial Comments
As the discussion progressed, the panel read out viewer comments before Susanna remarked: 'It's really outrageous. I mean, how long does it take Scots to get over the fact that they've played their first match?' Kevin Maguire chimed in: 'It's 2am. You can go to bed late Sunday morning and sleep it off!' while Gillian Keegan observed: 'It sets a terrible precedent.'
Ed then questioned: 'How hungover do they get?' Susanna responded: 'Is that the unspoken acknowledgement is that it is about alcohol?' with Kevin replying: 'Yeah, I think it's going to be shown in thousands of pubs in Scotland at 2am. You can imagine the state of people.'
Viewer Backlash
The presenters' remarks did not sit well with audiences, many of whom took to social media to express their displeasure. One viewer wrote: 'Very condescending attitude from all the presenters taking part in that debate! Extremely anti Scottish. Not everyone is getting it and not everyone wants it. I don't even like football but thought your comments were uncalled for!'
Another added: 'I thought the presenters also focused heavily on stereotypes, portraying Scots as heavy drinkers. Do better Good Morning Britain. Your presenters owe some of your audience an apology.'
A third said: 'The presenters talking about Scots was unacceptable. Very condescending attitude, extremely anti Scottish comments. Uncalled for.'
Someone else noted: 'Not everyone in Scotland gets it either,' while a fifth viewer fumed: 'It's disappointing that your programme is again taking an anti Scottish view.'
Good Morning Britain airs weekdays on ITV1 and ITVX at 6am.
