PRODUCERS at Good Morning Britain (GMB) have broken their silence after alleged “anti-Scottish” comments during coverage of the World Cup.
Last week, the hosts of the ITV morning show – Ed Balls and Susanna Reid – sparked a backlash after suggesting that the bank holiday to mark Scotland’s participation in the World Cup was actually “about alcohol” and not about football.
Reid said the bank holiday was “outrageous” and questioned how long it would “take Scots to get over [it]”, while Balls asked: “How hungover do they get?”
Comedian Mark Nelson said the GMB debate had leant on “the boring stereotype of the drunken Scot which has been done to death”, adding: “So essentially get yourselves to fuck.”
Others called the GMB hosts’ comments “ignorant”, “anti-Scottish”, and “condescending”, while SNP MSP Alan Brown said it was “hard not to laugh” at people “taking to the ITV airwaves to gripe and moan”.
Now, in a response to the backlash against the discussion, producers at GMB said they had reviewed the discussion.
A statement read: “The editorial team feel discussion of the fact that some football fans would be drinking alcohol while watching the match is something that would be referenced in the discussion of any home nation's participation in an international tournament.
“No sleight was intended toward Scottish fans in particular – it was more a reflection of football watching culture in the UK.”
It went on: “We're aware this coverage has been distorted on social media by brief edited clips that do not represent the full four-minute discussion …
“Having reviewed the full segments, our feeling is that the issue of drinking and football would have been raised in a discussion of any home nation having an extra day off work following a game.
“We do note, however, that such discussions can play into national stereotypes. This was not the intention and in no way was the focus of the discussion.”
It further said that the GMB editorial team had taken on board “concerns about Ofcom's rules relating to generally accepted standards, due accuracy and due impartiality but taking into account the light-hearted nature of the news review discussion and the discussion that followed later in the programme, consider that the programme was in line with Ofcom's standards”.
GMB has also faced recent controversy over having Balls, a former Labour minister who is married to Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, host the programme.
In 2024, Balls was allowed to interview Cooper, who was then home secretary, despite their relationship.
