Ed Balls has come under fire for making a remark about his wife Yvette Cooper on Good Morning Britain.
The former Labour shadow chancellor, has previously faced Ofcom controversy for interviewing Cooper, who is the UK’s foreign secretary, on the ITV show in what viewers claimed was an example of bias.
And earlier this year, sources claimed ITV bosses were facing mounting pressure to sack Balls after his clash with Green Party leader Zack Polanski, although the channel denied the claims.
On Wednesday, Balls faced backlash once again while discussing who could become the next Chancellor in the new Labour leader’s cabinet.
His co-host Susanna Reid asked journalist Kevin Maguire: "Who does it mean might be his Chancellor? Do we know?
“If only there's someone we can ask in the shape of Andy Burnham to find out - but he says he won't confirm or deny."
Maguire replied: "My 20p, for some time, rightly or wrongly, has been on Yvette Cooper. We don't know anyone who knows her."
Reid then turned to Balls, who raised hie eyebrows and said: "News to me."
His comment sparked irritation online, with one viewer writing: “Kevin Maguire: ‘My 20p, for some time, has been Yvette Cooper.’ Ed Balls: ‘News to me.’ It’s treated as a joke."
Another added: “Loud mouth and Yvette Cooper’s husband Ed, they are helping to destroy what used to be one of the best morning shows."
Burnham has effectively been confirmed as the new Labour leader with 349 Labour MPs choosing him to replace Keir Starmer.
There is less than a week until he is expected to choose his first cabinet, amid speculation that Rachel Reeves will be moved out of the Treasury.
Balls has faced a slew of controversies since he became a co-host on GMB.
He came under fire in 2024 for interviewing Cooper on GMB. He has been married to the UK’s Foreign Secretary since 1998.
The interview prompted 16,000 complaints to Ofcom. ITV defended the interview at the time but said it would not be repeated.
In April, he hit the headlines after arguing with Zack Polanski on the breakfast show.
Polanski, 43, complained about being interview by Balls, calling him a “Labour politician” and accusing him of bias.
He said: “Do you know what I’m enjoying? The fact that a Labour politician who’s married to a senior Labour minister is allowed to ask questions of a leader of a Green Party.”
“Are you accusing me of being a Labour politician?” Balls asked.
Polanski replied: “I’m accusing you… Well, it’s not even an accusation. We are planning to replace the Labour Party and take the fight to Reform, but what you’re asking me right now…”
Balls interrupted: “You said I was a Labour politician. Did you mean that or not?
“I haven’t been a Labour minister for 20 years. Unfortunately, Mr Polanski, I lost my seat in 2015 and I’ve not been a Labour politician for 10 years.
“Luckily, you’re a Green politician, you are the party leader and you seem to be using a rather elaborate device of making accusations against me to avoid answering the questions.”
Later, Polankski refused to answer questions about his former job as a hypnotherapist, accusing Balls of using “shock-jock tactics” and “pretending to be a journalist who’s interrogating the leader of a political party... with a very strong association with a Labour government who are currently in power”.
He also reshared a post that claimed Balls came across like a “classroom bully” during the interview.
After the clash, sources claimed producers were facing pressure to “distance” the show from him.
An insider told The Sun: “It’s an easy win for politicians on the show to give the impression Ed is being bias towards them because of who he’s married to.
“Ed knows this, but lost his cool yesterday. There have been whispers behind the scenes about how it makes the programme look, but that’s been going on since he interviewed his own wife.
“It’s clear there is growing pressure to distance Ed from the show but bosses keep backing him. They hope the backlash from yesterday calms down.”
A GMB spokesperson refuted the claims, telling The Standard: "Ed Balls remains a valued member of our presenting team. Any suggestions otherwise are categorically untrue."
