'Beyond Parody': ITV Criticised After Home Secretary Yvette Cooper Interviewed By Her Husband Ed Balls
???? NEW: ITV's Good Morning Britain has been accused of bias as former Labour Minister Ed Balls interviewed his wife, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper earlier today pic.twitter.com/PtBad3T7Fq
— Politics UK (@PolitlcsUK) August 5, 2024
ITV has been criticised after home secretary Yvette Cooper was interviewed on Good Morning Britain by her husband, Ed Balls.
The former Labour MP, who lost his seat in 2015, quizzed his wife over the government’s response to the anti-immigrant riots seen across the UK over the past week.
Balls has been a regular presenter on the programme in recent years, but it is the first time he has interviewed Cooper, whom he married in 1998.
The unusual husband-and-wife head-to-head led to accusations of impartiality being levelled at ITV on social media.
Journalist Sarah Vine, who was married to former Tory cabinet minister Michael Gove for more than 20 years, said it was “beyond parody”.
Ed Balls interviewing his own wife, @YvetteCooperMP (aka our new Home Secretary) on @GMB is beyond parody. And they dare to accuse the @Conservatives of corruption and elitism?
— Sarah Vine (@WestminsterWAG) August 5, 2024
During the interview, Balls said to Cooper: “We’ve talked about this many times in the last few days, as many of our viewers will have done since those terrible killings in Southport, there have been identifiable individuals on social media who have been inciting not just riot but violence, they’ve been using racist language, they’ve been using falsehoods about what happened in Southport.
“This is happening on the social media platforms. What should be done by the social media companies now, and the police and the government, to stop this happening because it’s been happening for a week?”
Cooper replied: “You’re right Ed, we’re seeing things that are appearing online that are clearly criminal that social media has put rocket boosters under.”
The interview was widely criticised by viewers on social media, with ITV being accused of a lack of impartiality.
Amidst one of the UK's biggest civil crises in years, GMB thinks that it's a good idea to have Home Secretary Yvette Cooper interviewed by Ed Balls - her husband.
— Sam Bidwell (@sam_bidwell) August 5, 2024
This only fuels the idea that the British press walks in lock-step with the political establishment. Unwise! pic.twitter.com/lQsLS30xoh
Peak Labour / Media propaganda when Ed Balls interviews his own wife. pic.twitter.com/S55AF8G77m
— Queen Bob (@KingBobIIV) August 5, 2024
Balls was also criticised today for an interview he conducted with Labour MP Zarah Sultana after she said the riots should be described as Islamophobic.
A spokesperson for Good Morning Britain said: “Following a weekend of rioting and national unrest, GMB featured a range of interviews and discussion around this national emergency on today’s programme which included James Cleverly, shadow home secretary and Yvette Cooper, home secretary. We are satisfied that these interviews were balanced, fair and duly impartial.”