Good Morning Britain viewers have slammed Kate Garraway and Ed Balls for their “disgusting” Olympics joke amid ongoing riots that broke out across the UK this weekend.
Chaos erupted again on the streets of Britain in the wake of the Southport killings, with hundreds of people taking to the streets in Birmingham and Plymouth while speculation of further protests was rife on social media.
And during Tuesday’s episode of the ITV show, Kate and Ed took a brief break from discussing the riots to make a light-hearted joke about the Olympics.
After discussing the Team GB athletes currently competing at the Paris Olympics, Ed asked his co-host: “Which Olympic sport are you competing in next? Now that we know from Nick that the over-50s are included.
Kate laughed and replied: “Over 50s are in fashion? It’s very exciting. I’ll tell you what: tell me what you think I could do.”
Good Morning Britain viewers have slammed Kate Garraway and Ed Balls for their “disgusting” Olympics joke amid ongoing riots that broke out across the UK this weekend.
During Tuesday’s episode of the ITV show, Kate and Ed took a brief break from discussing the riots to make a light-hearted joke about the Olympics.
Chaos broke out again on the streets of Britain in the wake of the Southport murders, as hundreds of people took to the streets in Birmingham and Plymouth (pictured)
Kate then asked: ‘Is there an Olympic sport where you sit on the sofa and drink a cup of tea, because that’s where you would definitely win gold?’
Ed replied: “Considering the sports that are included in the Olympics these days, I wouldn’t be surprised.”
However, some viewers were unhappy with the change of focus on the riots and said the presenters needed to get their “priorities” in order.
One wrote on X: ‘Not reporting on what’s going on in Birmingham could give you gold in that race.’
“Are you kidding me @GMB? While the country is on fire and people are living in fear, you’re asking about @kategarraway’s Olympic sport? Get your priorities straight! Focus on the real issues, not the superficial stuff.”
“The country is falling apart and you’re laughing at the Olympics.”
With all that’s going on in the UK, are you wasting your time on this nonsense?
Just a day earlier, viewers branded GMB “extremely disgraceful” after Ed Balls interviewed his wife Yvette Cooper in a “massive conflict of interest” on Monday’s episode.
Ed, 57, interviewed Home Secretary Yvette, 55, alongside Kate Garraway, who made a triumphant return to GMB following her father’s illness.
Yvette was on the breakfast show to discuss whether the police response to the nationwide unrest had been sufficient.
After discussing the Team GB athletes currently competing at the Paris Olympics, Ed asked his co-host: “Which Olympic sport are you competing in next? Now that we know from Nick that the over-50s are included.”
Kate asked: ‘Is there an Olympic sport where you sit on the sofa and drink a cup of tea? Because that’s something I would definitely win gold in.’
However, some viewers were unhappy with the shift in focus from the riots and said the presenters needed to get their “priorities straight”.
Ed and Kate questioned Yvette about the government’s refusal to label the riots as “Islamophobic” as she previously raised on the Zarah Sultana show.
Yvette began: “What we have seen on the streets of some cities and towns over the weekend is, quite frankly, criminal violence and vandalism. That is what it is, first and foremost, and that is why the law needs to be brought to bear with all its weight.”
He added: “We have certainly seen some targeted attacks on mosques, and that clearly reflects Islamophobia.”
Largely ignoring the content of the interview, GMB viewers took issue with the decision to put Ed in such a compromising position on X, formerly Twitter.
They wrote: ‘Does @GMB realise how ridiculous it seems to keep inviting @edballs as a presenter whilst defending the actions of Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, his wife?’
‘Home Secretary Yvette Cooper is asked why the government has not used the term ‘Islamophobic’. In her response, Cooper (finally) uses the word. As for the husband interviewing his wife, how does the #GMB think this is sustainable?’
Viewers have branded Good Morning Britain “disgraceful in the extreme” after Ed, 57, interviewed his wife Yvette Cooper, 55, in a “massive conflict of interest” on Monday’s episode.
Ed interviewed Home Secretary Yvette alongside Kate Garraway, 57, who made a triumphant return to GMB following her father’s illness.
Ed and Yvette have been married since 1998 and share three children: Joe Balls, Mady Balls and Ellie Cooper.
“Ed, who just treated @zarahsultana with contempt for suggesting the mainstream media plays a role in fomenting hate, is about to interview his wife in a conflict of interest obvious even to a five-year-old viewer. Stick with Kerry Katona and Strictly #Gmb.”
‘Interesting that Ed Balls doesn’t interrupt his wife when he interviews her, but with other guests he does it every 5 minutes #gmb #goodmorningbritain’
‘Ed Balls is going to interview his wife? How can @GMB be impartial and NOT create a huge conflict of interest? It’s extremely disgraceful… and he hasn’t spoken to the Home Secretary about her job and the situation… really? (sic)’
‘Is it really appropriate for Ed Balls to present news coverage directly related to the response to the protests by his wife and the government she is part of?’
“I’m sorry, this is crazy! You can’t have Ed Balls on a show “interviewing” his own wife. What a stupid editorial decision! I can’t believe Yvette Cooper agreed to this!”
“Why is Yvette Cooper’s husband (Ed Balls) allowed to defend her poor handling of the race riots? I’m not sure that’s allowed.”
“I don’t think Ed Balls should be interviewing Yvette Cooper on GMB. They’re a married couple. It’s ridiculous.”
“Surely good practice would be for Ed Balls not to appear on a programme that features his wife, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper. Sort it out, @gmb!”
Ed and Yvette have been married since 1998 and share three children: Joe Balls, Mady Balls and Ellie Cooper.
Violence broke out again in Belfast last night amid ongoing unrest across the UK.
This comes after cabinet ministers blamed social media for allowing the spread of hate and fake news, sparking violent riots by the far right that saw hotels and mosques for immigrants attacked in the wake of the stabbings in Southport a week ago.
False claims that the suspect was a Muslim asylum seeker who had arrived in the UK by boat a year earlier quickly spread on X and other social media platforms. In reality, the 17-year-old suspect was born in Cardiff and has no known links to Islam.
Last night, hundreds of far-right activists and anti-racism protesters came face to face in Plymouth, where beer bottles, flares and a crutch were thrown into the air, leaving police officers injured.
And in Birmingham, a Sky News van was attacked by a man armed with a knife after members of the Muslim community gathered amid claims far-right groups were targeting the Small Heath area.
Police have also been warned of alleged plans by far-right groups to attack dozens of immigration targets across Britain on Wednesday night.
Good Morning Britain airs Monday to Friday at 6am on ITV1.