ITV bosses have denied reports that they are under pressure to remove Ed Balls from Good Morning Britain (GMB) following a backlash over his interview with Green Party leader Zack Polanski. The controversy arose after a clip showed Balls clashing with Polanski, who referred to the former Labour shadow chancellor as a 'Labour politician'.
During the interview on Monday, 27 April, Balls, who is married to Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, took offence at Polanski's comments. Polanski said: 'Do you know what I’m enjoying? The fact that a Labour politician who’s married to a senior Labour minister is allowed to ask questions of a leader of a Green Party.' Balls responded by asking if Polanski was 'accusing' him of being a Labour politician, and later noted that he had not been a Labour minister for 20 years.
The exchange sparked criticism on social media, with some viewers accusing Balls and co-host Susanna Reid of behaving like 'classroom bullies'. One viewer said: 'Ed Balls and Susanna Reid really did come across like a couple of classroom bullies this morning. They did an excellent job of proving Zack Polanski to be the only adult in the room.' Another added: 'Maybe the charismatic ace journalist Ed Balls doesn’t cut it with the British public the way they imagine?!'
Following the backlash, a source reportedly claimed to The Sun that ITV bosses were worried about the potential for guests to claim bias. However, ITV told the publication: 'Ed Balls remains a valued member of our presenting team. Any suggestions otherwise are categorically untrue.' The Mirror also contacted ITV for comment.
During the interview, Polanski accused Balls of using 'shock-jock tactics' and avoiding questions about Green Party policies. Balls countered by accusing Polanski of a 'double standard' for objecting to questions about his past while raising Balls' own political history. Polanski argued that the situations were 'not the same', stating that Balls' strong association with a Labour government made his role as an interviewer problematic.
