GMB fans rage 'Ed Balls has to go!' after infuriating Mel Stride clash

Good Morning Britain fans were left outraged as a furious clash erupted between presenter Ed Balls and Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride on Thursday morning. Former Labour politician Ed and his co-star, Ranvir Singh, grilled the politician as he appeared on the ITV show.

The hosting duo hit the Conservative MP with a number of topical questions, including some on how the Home Office paid convicted sex attacker Hadush Kebatu £500 to be deported to Ethiopia, as well as Chancellor Rachel Reeves admitting to breaking housing rules by renting out her family home. However, as Mr Stride tried to answer, he repeatedly found himself being interrupted or talked over by the ITV stars - much to the annoyance of fans at home, who branded Ed as "biased". The interruptions and cold swipes came as Ed and Ranvir started on the topic of Rachel Reeves breaking housing rules, with Mr Stride saying: "I think Rachel Reeves is basically the market for blaming absolutely anybody other than herself for the terrible state that the economy is in. Now, Brexit was some considerable time ago."

He continued: "I think she made those remarks with regard to what appears to be probably quite a substantial downgrade on productivity forecast growth by the OBR, but of course, those forecasts are projecting into the future and are substantially based on what the government is doing at the moment.

"And I don't think she can get away from the fact that she came into the election saying she wouldn't put up our taxes left, right, and centre. She promptly did, broke that promise - most of it landing on the shoulders of businesses, which has destroyed growth."

Ed hit back: "Of course, you were a cabinet minister in the last Parliament with Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak as Prime Minister. We had the biggest rise in taxation in any Parliament since the Second World War in the last Parliament.

"Do you remember, Mr Stride, what you said in your 2019 election manifesto in your constituency about taxes? Did you say they were going to go up or did you say you wanted them to come down?"

Mr Stride answered: "So look, I think you make a fair point, Ed, but I think there is a difference between externalities that hit the economy - like, for example, something that's happened in the past such as our stepping out of the European Union, which is what Rachel Reeves is relying upon with her argument - and things that happened when we were in office which were huge, almost once-in-a-century events.

Ed interrupted: "So just to be clear what you're saying, in 2019, Mel Stride said, 'I'm going to stop your taxes'. They then went up by the biggest amount in any parliament since the Second World War... You've given us your excuses, but yours are good excuses, and Rachel Reeves's are bad excuses?"

The pair then bickered among themselves, with Ranvir cutting in too every now and then, causing fans at home to take to social media to slam the manner of the debate.

One fan wrote on X/Twitter: "@KemiBadenoch Will you be complaining about the treatment of Mel Stride on @GMB by Ed Balls and Ranvir Singh? It was appalling."

Another fumed: "I'm no fan of Mel Stride but the way Ed Balls is conducting this interview it's as tho Mel Stride is the actual chancellor, is GMB the government mouthpiece FFS #GMB."

While a third added: "@GMB when are you admitting Ed Balls is far too biased to be a presenter????"