Ed Balls might not be having such a relaxing holiday with the number of Ofcom complaints levelled at him and Good Morning Britain (GMB) continuing to spiral.
The GMB host announced that he would be taking a break from the ITV breakfast show after facing a public backlash relating to two recent interviews.
The former Labour politician has become a staple on the ITV breakfast programme since joining three years ago, sharing hosting duties with the likes of Richard Madeley, Adil Ray, and Robert Rinder in the rotating roster of presenters that followed Piers Morgan's departure.
Despite his regular appearances, Balls has confirmed that he will be stepping away from the show for a short period as he takes a summer break.
Posting a photo holding a pavlova on Instagram, he wrote: “What better way to celebrate the start of summer holidays than with a pavlova – our family favourite – loved working with Kate last week during such national turbulent times.
“I’m back with Susanna at the beginning of September when schools and Parliament return – see you soon”.
The 57-year-old also posted a beaming selfie alongside his co-host Kate Garraway, taken last week.
Despite some wishing him well before his time off, many took the opportunity to reference his recent interviews that sparked significant controversy.
Last week, it was revealed that Ofcom received over 8,000 complaints about an episode of Good Morning Britain in which he interviewed his wife, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper.
This week, a further 8,419 complaints have been made relating to the same interview, making the total number of complaints 15,621.
While some complaints focused on the exchange between the couple, others were directed at his and co-host Kate Garraway's interview with Labour MP Zarah Sultana earlier in the week.
During the tense interview, Sultana emphasised the need for the government to label recent riots and violent disorder across the country as both "Islamophobic" and racist. Balls faced criticism for his handling of the interview, with some viewers expressing their upset at the interaction.
Following her appearance on the programme, Sultana took to social media, stating: “The sneering contempt of 'journalists' will never stop me from calling out racism and Islamophobic hate.”
Meanwhile, viewers took to X, formerly Twitter, to question whether Balls marital relationship to Cooper had an impact on the interview, with one writing: “I happen to like both Ed Balls and Yvette Cooper but they shouldn’t be interviewing each other about serious public policy issues on national television.”
In light of the complaints, a spokesperson for Ofcom said: “We are assessing the complaints against our broadcasting rules but are yet to decide whether or not to investigate.”
While an ITV spokesperson defended Balls’ exchange with his wife, branding it “balanced, fair and duly impartial”.
They shared: “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.”The Standard has contacted ITV for comment in light of the Ofcom complaints.
