Things got seriously heated on Good Morning Britain when Reform UK chairman Ria Yusuf appeared on the show and ended up in a fiery exchange with Ed Balls over controversial influencer Andrew Tate. What started as a political discussion about Reform UK’s local election wins quickly veered off-course into a row about morality, free speech, and social media.
Yusuf had been invited on to talk about his party’s policies, including reintroducing winter fuel payments for pensioners and their stance on migrant hotels. But midway through, Balls suddenly pivoted, asking: “What do you think about the impact that Andrew Tate is having on the moral well-being of young men in Britain?” This came after Yusuf had spoken earlier about a need for a “model re-education”, reported GB News.
Yusuf tried to steer the conversation towards a wider issue. “I think that what has often happened is people look at essentially a symptom of something that is much larger,” he began, before saying young men in Britain feel “utterly betrayed.” But Ranvir Singh jumped in, pointing out he “didn’t appear to be condemning Andrew Tate.”
Yusuf responded sharply: “Because it’s a total red herring.” Balls wasn’t having it. “Andrew Tate is not a red herring,” he said, before reading out one of Tate’s disturbing TikTok quotes. Yusuf agreed the comments were “abhorrent” but was visibly frustrated. “You’re putting them to me as if I’m here as a spokesperson for Andrew Tate!” he said.
The interview spiralled into a back-and-forth, with Balls demanding to know if Reform UK would support social media bans on Tate’s content. Yusuf pushed back: “I think moderation on social media is a really difficult problem,” and warned that the government picking who to silence online was “a path to tyranny.”
Balls accused him of dodging the question. “So the answer is no,” he said, “You are happy for Andrew Tate to say these things online.” Yusuf replied again that he condemned the remarks, but stood firm on defending free speech. “Everyone watching this programme when they hear those comments flinch,” he said. “But if we ban him, someone else will just pop up.”
Reactions online were split. Some blasted Balls for “obsessing” over Andrew Tate and derailing the interview, suggesting it was a “gotcha” attempt after Labour’s poor showing at the local elections. Others felt Yusuf missed a chance to show clear leadership, with one user saying: “First time I’ve seen a poor interview from Zia.”
Reform UK is promising to use "every power available" to close the UK's migrant hotels.
— Good Morning Britain (@GMB) May 5, 2025
'Where will those asylum seekers go?'
Ranvir challenges Reform UK chairman Zia Yusuf about the Party's plans. pic.twitter.com/amlRGE3hF7
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