Good Morning Britain viewers react as Ed Balls avoids interview with wife Yvette Cooper after Home Secretary's latest announcement

The presenter took the helm of the show alongside co-star Susanna Reid on Tuesday morning, with the pair discussing the latest announcement made by Home Secretary Yvette Cooper regarding her plans to pause new refugee family reunions amid pressure over migration and asylum policies. The former Chancellor has notably been married to his former Labour college since 1998.

The moment got viewers speaking, with one saying: “Nothing sums up the state of the mainstream media like Ed Balls reporting on his wife's and the government’s incompetence.”

Another added: “It’s very awkward and uncomfortable listening to Ed Balls talking about his wife as though he doesn’t know her.”

Yvette Cooper also appeared on the show to be interviewed. She was questioned by Susanna and pressed on her latest announcement, which she made in parliament yesterday afternoon (September 1).

Ed did not participate in the interview, avoiding a potentially awkward run-in with his wife. However, despite her husband sitting nearby, Susanna took her to task over the ‘one in, one out’ small boats agreement with France that has yet to see a boat returned to France.

Susanna said: “I want to ask you first about the ‘one in, one out’ policy, which, when you announced it back in July, said it would take effect within weeks. Well, weeks later, not one person has been returned to France, and 3,567 [people] have been allowed in. Why isn’t it up and running?”

When pressed by Susanna on when people will actually start being returned, the Home Secretary told the GMB presenter that they expect returns to begin “this month”, adding that it was a “pilot scheme” and was “still running significantly faster than the Conservative’s previous Rwanda scheme”.

Susanna asked Cooper directly about the mistrust of the government to control the UK’s borders within some communities, urging the Home Secretary to be “a little more honest” with people in terms of timescale, with the scheme not taking weeks as previously stated but instead months to get fully up and running.

While some welcomed the presenter pushing the Home Secretary for an answer, others believed the Home Secretary got off lightly. One disgruntled viewer said: “Bit of a farcical interview given her colleague, Yvette’s husband was sat next to her.”

Another added: “I cannot believe that ITV are allowing her husband to be sat next to the interviewer!! It’s disgusting, she could have been absolutely ridiculed on her policies but gets off lightly again.”

Ed sparked controversy during Monday’s show also, when the topic of migration was also being discuss ahead of the Home Secretary’s speech in the House of Commons. He conducted an interview alongside Susana with Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philip questioned on the topic. However, some called the segment a “conflict of interest”.

One viewer asked: “Surely it is a conflict of interest for Ed Balls, the husband of the Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, to be interviewing the Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp?”

Another added: “No political interview will be taken seriously while the Home Secretary’s hubby is sitting next to Susannah [sic].”