According to new reports, Good Morning Britain presenter and former Labour MP Ed Balls could be appointed to the House of Lords if Andy Burnham becomes the next Prime Minister. This development has reignited calls for Balls to leave the ITV programme, as his political connections undermine its claims of impartiality.
Burnham's Path to Power
Following Sir Keir Starmer's resignation last month, Burnham has taken one step closer to 10 Downing Street. If he becomes the next Labour leader, the Makerfield MP is expected to hand out peerages. Several outlets have reported this week that both Balls and David Miliband are tipped to be appointed to the House of Lords, should Burnham prove successful.
Impartiality Concerns
ITV has historically noted that GMB's interviews are "balanced, fair and duly impartial," but that argument falls flat if a budding Labour peer leads interviews with members of other political parties. Since joining the programme, Balls has received hundreds of Ofcom complaints, with many declaring that his 2024 interview with his wife, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, was incredibly biased.
Just last month, Balls came under fire while discussing Labour's rumoured leadership challenge. Co-host Susanna Reid quipped, "It's so dramatic. Of course, you know someone very senior in the cabinet, but you wouldn't divulge personal conversations, and I don't know how many you've had," alluding to Balls' close ties to the Labour party. Balls remained silent, refusing to say whether he knew for sure that Starmer would resign because of Burnham's win.
The Case for Balls' Departure
Nothing is set in stone, and while all bets are on Burnham right now, there's still no guarantee that he'll become Prime Minister. With Balls emerging as a possible new addition to the House of Lords, however, it has become increasingly difficult to justify his continued presence on GMB. The programme's claim to impartiality is compromised when a presenter with such strong Labour connections is allowed to lead political interviews.
