GOOD Morning Britain bosses have been left red-faced after most people said a bank holiday in Scotland to mark the nation's return to the World Cup was not unfair.
The news programme ran a poll to ask whether it is "unfair for Scottish people to get a day off on Monday for the FIFA World Cup while the rest of the UK will be hard at work?"
On Tuesday, host Susanna Reid said on the programme that the bank holiday was “outrageous” and questioned how long it would “take Scots to get over [it]”.
Other GMB panellists claimed the bank holiday set a “terrible precedent” and said of Scottish people: “How hungover do they get?”
Social media users who saw the GMB broadcast questioned the “anti-Scottish comments” and called for an apology from the panel.
In response to the poll, almost 65% of people have answered "no" to whether the bank holiday is unfair so far, with just over 35% voting "yes".
More than 5600 people have voted in the poll with presenters being slammed for a "condescending attitude" and "disgusting behaviour".
Scotland will play Haiti in their World Cup opener, which kicks off at 2am UK time on Sunday, June 14. Monday, June 15 has been made a bank holiday by the Scottish Government to mark the occasion, although not every council area has opted to take it up.
Is it unfair for Scottish people to get a day off on Monday for the FIFA World Cup while the rest of the UK will be hard at work? The King has approved a one-off bank holiday on Monday - but not for everyone!
— Good Morning Britain (@GMB) June 9, 2026
Opening a debate on the topic on GMB on Tuesday, Reid said: “Let's turn our attention to what a lot of people are outraged about this morning – although lots of people are getting in touch saying let them have it – the bank holiday in Scotland for their first World Cup opening game.
"“King Charles has approved a new one-off bank holiday to allow fans to watch the late night World Cup clash so they get next Monday off.
“Now, anyone watching might think, is that because the game is late on a Sunday, or early on a Monday morning? No!”
After reading out viewers’ comments both against and in favour of the bank holiday, Reid added: “I mean, it's pretty outrageous. How long does it take Scots to get over the fact that they've played their first match?”
Gillian Keegan, the former Tory education secretary who lost her seat in the Commons in the 2024 General Election, then said: “It sets a terrible precedent. So anytime anything happens, there is a call for a bank holiday.
“A bank holiday for this, a bank holiday for that, and normally the answer is no, because there's eight bank holidays and it costs a lot of money to have a bank holiday.”
There are eight annual bank holidays in England. In Scotland there are nine each year.
Balls, the husband of Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, cut in: “It costs billions of pounds for a UK bank holiday. This will cost hundreds of millions of pounds to the Scottish economy.”
He then asked: “How hungover do they get?”
