ITV chiefs meet with Board as Golders Green interview sparks complaints

ITV Good Morning host Ed Balls has been warned to stop being a politician and concentrate on being a presenter after bosses held talks with the Board of Deputies amid anger over an interview he did on the Golders Green arson attack.

The former Labour chancellor had been interviewing 22-year-old Dov Forman following the antisemitic arson attack on the Hatzola charity’s ambulance fleet last Monday.

During the live exchange, Balls asked Forman – who was standing at the scene in Golders Green, North London, with emergency vehicles behind him – whether he would condemn similar intolerance against Muslim people.

It was a conflation that led to thousands of complaints from angry viewers.

Jewish News understands that ITV bosses – including director of news Andrew Dagnell and Daniel Robinson, GMB’s editor – arranged a meeting with the Board as the row continued to simmer.

Dagnell was so concerned about the anger caused by the presenter’s remarks that he held a meeting with the Jewish Board of Deputies vice-president, Karen Newman.

It was not the first time in recent years that ITV had reason to meet with the Board either about GMB.

In January last year, they had apologised to communal leaders after Holocaust Memorial Day coverage failed to mention “Jewish” deaths in the Shoah.

The latest row to involve Balls has exasperated ITV’s Director of News who had already been watching the presenter “like a hawk” to ensure there is no political bias in his interviews.

One source in the room added “My impression is that Ed forgot he was interviewing Forman about the Golders Green attack, and for one moment placed him alongside those politicians who were the previous week calling for Muslim Ramadan prayers to be banned.

“You just can’t show any political bias if you are a presenter though. It’s asking for trouble.’

Dagnell, a long-time supporter of Balls, on this occasion admitted the GMB anchor “let himself down.”

A source said: “Ed agreed that his interview didn’t hit the right tone, there is a climate of intolerance to minority religions, and Ed accepted that he carried out the interview in a clumsy way.”

But, the source added, “to be fair to Ed, it was a breaking news story, and Dov had only been booked that morning so there wasn’t long for the presenters [his co-host Susanna Reid included] to get their heads around it all”.

“Instead of concentrating solely on speaking to a young Jewish man and getting his thoughts and concerns about the latest hideous antisemitic attack to rock the community, it was as though Balls had other issues that he wanted to put to Forman.”

An ITV source confirmed that Ed has now been warned “from the very highest level” that he must stop using the GMB role as his political hobby horse.

Meanwhile, sources say that Ed’s role on the show has caused ructions in the Balls/Cooper household.

The Mail on Sunday reported that Balls’ wife of 27 years was left “unimpressed” with her husband’s performance last week, because any controversy around him inevitably rubs off on her.

“The last thing Yvette wants are questions being raised about her husband’s alleged political biases while he presents GMB,” said one insider.

But another well-placed source said the power couple were “genuinely upset’” about the anger his interview caused.

“Both Yvette and Ed are usually seen as really good friends of the Jewish community, and are often seen together at communal events,” added the source, who pointed to his long-standing role as Co-Chair of the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation.

“The last thing either of them wants to do is cause hurt to a community they admire, and one that is under real threat from rising antisemitism at the moment.”

During the live exchange, Balls said:”‘And Dov, when you see last week the Shadow Justice Secretary Nick Timothy singling out the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan for praying in Trafalgar Square in a Muslim group and saying that is wrong and shouldn’t happen.

“Isn’t that the kind of intolerance and divisiveness which is causing problems in the Jewish community right now? Do you condemn that as well?”

For Forman there was no equivalence between an arson attack and criticism of mass praying in a public space. Pushing back, the campaigner insisted the issue being discussed should remain focused on anti-semitism rather than broader political disputes.

Cue the complaints, and ITV soon issued an apology.

By way of explanation for Ball’s combative questioning, it has been pointed out that Forman has worked for Reform UK politician Robert Jenrick producing social media content – a position liable to raise any former Labour MP’s hackles.

Unsurprisingly, Jenrick immediately branded the interview as “deeply unpleasant,” and said Ed was “absolutely clueless”.

It is not the first controversy Balls has faced since joining the ITV show, either. In 2024, he sparked more complaints and accusations of bias when he was allowed to interview his wife on the show.

The Southport riots had just erupted and, as then-Home Secretary, Cooper had plenty to answer for – but viewers were less than impressed when her grand inquisitor was her husband.

It was subsequently agreed that he would never interview her again on the show.

He has also been accused of ‘bullying’ or speaking over guests during clashes with Reform UK figures, including Richard Tice and Nigel Farage, with viewers branding his approach aggressive and unprofessional.

Further criticism followed interviews and political discussions involving Labour figures, with some accusing him of protecting or promoting his wife’s political position and giving Labour figures, such as Chancellor Rachel Reeves, an easy ride.

But an  ITV insider said: “Those in charge enjoy the political dynamic that Ed brings, and the different dimension he gives to the show.’

They point out, too, that he’s more than an ex-MP, as he used to be a journalist (lead economic writer at the Financial Times).

“But most of all, the viewing figures are great for GMB, so he’s doing something right. The bosses just hope he doesn’t do anything like this again.”