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The ITV breakfast show host informed viewers he would not be conducting the interview with Cooper, who was appearing on the show in her position as Labour’s home secretary.
Balls’s decision came after Cooper’s last appearance in August, which received 8201 complaints, caused a bias row, with many believing Balls – a former Labour leadership candidate and cabinet minister – should not have been permitted to interview his wife.
Consequently, the GMB host, who has been married to Cooper for more than 25 years, told viewers on Monday (6 November), he was “sitting out” the latest interview.
Cooper appeared on the series back in August when Labour was receiving criticism for its response to the riots and far-right civil unrest spreading across the country, and Balls’ impartiality was thrown into question.
His softer approach was noted when compared with an earlier interview with Labour MP Zara Sultana, whom he repeatedly interrupted as she urged political leaders to condemn the protests as “Islamophobic” and “racist”.
Balls being permitted to interview Cooper was also compared to previous cases against broadcaster GB News, who Ofcom found to have broken the rules when Tory MPs working as presenters interviewed other Tory MPs.
While ITV never commented on the complaints, the latest move appears to be an acknowledgement of the furore, which saw viewers call the interview setup “absurd”.
The Home Secretary and GMB presenter have been married for over 25 years and have three children together – they were the first married couple to serve in government alongside each other back in 2008.
It’s worth noting that Ofcom currently does not include restrictions on such specifics of a husband interviewing his wife but due impartiality laws state: “No politician may be used as a newsreader, interviewer or reporter in any news programmes unless, exceptionally, it is editorially justified. In that case, the political allegiance of that person must be made clear to the audience.”
