Staff working on ITV’s flagship news show Good Morning Britain have noticed their bosses are huddling for more meetings than usual at their West London studios. They also appear increasingly stressed in recent weeks.
The cause? Presenter Ed Balls, who is loved by the chiefs – and more pertinently by the show’s head girl, Susanna Reid.
But the former Labour MP-turned-TV personality, nicknamed Red Ed courtesy of his Left-leaning principles, has been causing ITV an almighty headache.
He has been notably absent from the GMB sofa, where he’s been on the rotating guest presenter line-up since 2021, since he and his wife, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, were caught up in the ‘Taylorgate’ scandal currently blighting Keir Starmer’s government.
It emerged last week that Ms Cooper had been involved in the discussions with Scotland Yard that led to officers agreeing to give Ms Swift a blue-light police escort to and from her Wembley concerts in August.
Former Labour MP-turned-TV personality Ed Balls has been notably absent from the Good Morning Britain sofa alongside Susanna Reid
Complaints from viewers of GMB erupted when Balls interviewed his own wife – Home Secretary Yvette Cooper – after she made an appearance on the programme 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 been given four free tickets by Ms Swift’s record label, Universal.
Although his absence could simply be down to scheduling, and it not being his turn – other presenters on the rota include Trisha Goddard and Richard Madeley – there is much speculation over whether he should be on the TV news show at all.
Balls and Cooper, who’ve been married since 1998 and have three children together, have been a political double-act for decades.
Since their links to the latest scandal emerged, Balls hasn’t set foot in the studio as bosses scramble to find a solution to the problem.
Balls’ ties to Labour – he joined the party when he was 16 and served as Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families under Tony Blair and later as Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer – make impartiality virtually impossible, and as a news programme GMB should not be biased.
While Reid, who launched the show just over a decade ago, ‘adores’ him, the upper echelons at ITV were promised ‘no more drama’ following the Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby saga over on sister show, This Morning.
A GMB insider tells me: ‘There are serious disagreements now over what to do for the best. The whole thing is a headache, he is rated highly as a broadcaster, but it is causing real problems now.
‘ITV are desperately trying to find a solution. Ed is really well liked by the team, but he has become a growing headache with accusations of bias blighting the show.’
Complaints started back in August when Balls interviewed his wife on the show to discuss the wave of violent unrest that swept across Britain in the aftermath of the Southport killings.
Three little girls were stabbed to death, and ten others seriously injured, at a Taylor Swift dance class on July 29, which led to a snowball of misinformation online, falsely claiming the killer was an illegal immigrant.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper’s appearance on the show led to a barrage of objections on social media.
GMB’s lead presenter Susanna Reid, who launched the show over a decade ago, is said to ‘adore’ co-presenter Balls
GMB’s presenter line up includes: (From left) Charlotte Hawkins, Adil Ray, Richard Madeley, Susanna Reid, Kate Garraway, Ed Balls and Ranvir Singh
Some adore Balls. Others are ‘totally horrified’ that the show allows itself to be open to accusations of political bias
Many thought that Cooper got an ‘easy ride’, with Balls staunchly defending his partner and the government during the interview.
One furious critic wrote to the show: ‘How could you let Ed Balls interview his own wife, Yvette Cooper?! That’s not journalism, that’s a cosy little chat between spouses. Biased doesn’t even begin to cover it.’
Sources on Good Morning Britain, which celebrated its tenth anniversary earlier this year, say that the interview plunged the show into ‘crisis’ as they saw a number of their viewers complain to Ofcom about bias in their political coverage. The television regulator recorded 16,000 complaints about the programme.
‘It all went pretty crazy, the bosses all headed off together,’ said one insider. ‘ITV is so paranoid about what is written on social media about their programmes, they see it as a yardstick of what the viewers think so they really take it to heart.
‘The bosses were fuming. There were some very angry people.’
The dust was only just beginning to settle when the news agenda began to be dominated by stories of Labour freebies and cronyism involving donor Lord Alli. Veteran daytime television anchor Richard Madeley quickly stepped in.
Balls quit as an MP and saw his popularity soar when he went on Strictly Come Dancing in 2016
Some wonder whether it was a calculated move. Other sources on the show point out that there is a rota system and insist it is simply Madeley’s turn.
Whatever the truth, it is the cause of a split between the backroom staff at GMB. Some are calling it the biggest crisis since former host Piers Morgan quit over comments he made about Meghan Markle back in 2021.
Some adore Balls, whose popularity soared after he quit as an MP and went on Strictly Come Dancing in 2016. Others are ‘totally horrified’ that the show allows itself to be open to accusations of political bias.
Yet he also some strong allies on the show: Susanna Reid, its lead presenter – and fellow Strictly veteran – is said to ‘enjoy every second’ of hosting alongside him.
‘She thinks he is an absolute joy,’ said one colleague. ‘Susanna thinks he is loved by the viewers and a very sharp interviewer. She feels utterly comfortable sitting next to him, she thinks the pair of them have a great rapport.’
Of course, since Morgan’s departure three years ago, she is queen of the show and, I’m told, her opinion matters.
‘There are strong opinions all around ITV over it, how can things be fair and unbiased if he’s hosting?’ says one source. ‘It isn’t just about Yvette, it’s about other Labour MPs and an anti-Tory narrative. It’s an incredible decision to have Ed on.’
It was later revealed that the total number of complaints to Ofcom had hit 16,812, yet the organisation said it would not be investigating.
ITV’s CEO, Dame Carolyn McCall did, however, confirm Balls won’t be interviewing his wife again.
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Speaking at the Royal Television Society conference, McCall said: ‘It was a very, very tricky morning, there was a national emergency almost being called, and so we got very short notice that the Home Secretary was coming on the show.
‘She was doing a whole round [of interviews], but it was unexpected, and we believe that it was fair and impartial.
‘And actually, Ofcom just ruled, but amazingly no one has picked up on the fact, that they are not pursuing these complaints, because they believe it’s fair, balanced and impartial.
‘So, would we do it again? No. Was it impartial, fair and balanced? And did they behave professionally? Yes.’
So just how did Balls, a former Labour MP for Morley and Outwood, in West Yorkshire, land such a prestigious job on a news programme where bias should be avoided at all costs?
The answer goes back to 2021 when Morgan sensationally quit the programme after five years. He’d refused to apologise for 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 drafted in on a trial basis.
He was such a success, he picked up more shifts when Ben Shephard went to host This Morning, alongside Cat Deeley, in March.
‘It has been absolutely impossible to find the right replacement for Piers,’ said one show insider.
‘You’d think someone might want the job, but it has not been the case. Ed has proven himself to be good, but the huge problem is that he’s the ultimate politician’s husband-turned-ITV darling.
‘And the worry is that it will all end in tears.’