Good Morning Britain descended into chaos on Friday morning as presenters Ranvir Singh and Kate Garraway struggled to question guest Zia Yusuf, a Reform UK spokesperson.
Yusuf appeared on the show on 25 September over video link. He wanted to talk about his party's plans to reduce migration and 'stop the small boats', but failed to let the presenters question him, as both the presenters and guest continued to speak over each other.
Presenters ask to be allowed to talk
At the start of the interview, Kate apologised as she tried to question Yusuf on the comments he was making. She began: “Sorry to interrupt you,” and then tried to tell him: “We want to discuss it.”
Not long later, as Yusuf continued to speak over the presenters, Kate said: “You’ve got to allow us to talk about your statements otherwise it’s not a conversation, is it, and it will confuse everybody,” reports the Mirror.
Viewers brand interview a car crash
The interview was branded a "car crash" and "embarrassing" by viewers, and was brought to an end by Ranvir, as she accused the politician of deflecting when he was probed on a tweet he shared that had been accused of being racist.
"Zia Yusuf, you had your chance to respond to the tweet but you chose to deflect by talking about another issue. Thank you so much for joining us on the programme," she declared.
As he persisted in speaking across her, Ranvir brought the segment to a close, remarking: "I'm afraid we did run out of time on the interview there."
Previous clash in August
Kate concluded: "I really wanted to hear his view on it because so many others have commented, but he doesn't want to address the specific words, and words are so important. Never mind, it's always good to speak to Zia Yusuf on the programme, lots more still to come."
This isn't the first time Yusuf has sparked backlash over an interview on Good Morning Britain. Back in August, the presenter joined Richard Madeley and Kate on the show, but was once again speaking over the presenters.
After the politician suggested that migrants should be "dropped off" on French beaches, Kate fumed at one point: "I didn't say anything about the navy coming out. I never said that, Yusuf, you are not listening to me! No one has mentioned the French Navy, we are talking about your proposal."
One person said, "Again, a Reform interviewee talks over the questions he is unable to properly answer. These are not serious people." Someone else blasted: "Zia… not letting anyone talk, and when they can, he still shouts over."
Another echoed: "Zia with yet another car crash interview." One viewer added: "Zia Yusuf talking absolute rubbish," while another wrote: "Another car crash performance on @GMB from Zia."
Good Morning Britain airs weekdays from 6am on ITV1 and ITVX.
