Ed Balls temporarily left the Good Morning Britain studio on Monday (November 4) as Susanna Reid interviewed his wife, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper. The move came after previous backlash over Balls interviewing his spouse on the ITV programme.
Before the segment, Balls told viewers: "As you know she's my wife, so I'll sit this one out," before leaving the set. The decision follows criticism in August when Balls conducted an interview with Cooper, prompting complaints to Ofcom and accusations of bias and conflict of interest.
At the time, an ITV spokesman defended the interview, stating: "Following a weekend of rioting and national unrest, GMB featured a range of interviews and discussion around this national emergency on today’s programme. We are satisfied that these interviews were balanced, fair and duly impartial."
During the August interview, Balls questioned Cooper about social media's role in inciting violence and whether there was a "two-tier approach" to policing. Cooper responded that police must act "without fear or favour." Balls later returned to the studio to discuss the episode's highlights with Susanna Reid, Andrew Pierce, and Kevin Maguire.
